Finding the way back
by gilmoregirlfan2013
Summary: A/U. After the ultimatum, Lorelai left Stars Hollow. One year later she decides to return. Her return to the Hollow causes a big stir among the residents, especially one in particular: Luke Danes. Will they be able to find their way back to each other after a year or has that bridge already been crossed? Luke/Lorelai-centric but will feature other characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls. **

**This first chapter does have dialogue from episode "Partings" from Season Six. Dialogue from show will be italicized.**

**Lorelai does not run to Chris however after she gives Luke the ultimatum instead she leaves Stars Hollow. I know stories like this has been done before but I would like my chance at writing this story.**

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_"__No! I'm not waiting! It's now or never!" Lorelai said._

_"I don't like ultimatums!" Luke replied._

_"I don't like Mondays, but unfortunately they come around eventually."_

_"I can't just jump like this." Luke said._

_"Well, I'm sorry to hear that." _Lorelai sniffled. _"And I have to go."_

Lorelai turned and walked away. She couldn't believe Luke had said no. Luke, the guy that had been pining over her for years said no. He shut her out from so much over the past few months. She needed to talk to someone but she had no one. Rory was throwing Logan's going-away party and Sookie had a family to worry about. No one could be there for her now, she had nowhere to go but home.

Lorelai walked through the front door and immediately everything reminded her of Luke. She sank down to the ground and started sobbing. Luke and her and renovated this house together, everything in the house was some kind of a reminder of Luke.

"I can't stay here." She said aloud to herself while she got up from the floor. "I can't do this. I cannot stay in this house any longer." She said shouting at no one. Lorelai ran upstairs to her bedroom and grabbed duffel bags out of her closets. She ran to her closet and stuffed clothes into her bags. She had to leave, she had to get out of Stars Hollow and she wasn't sure how long she would be gone. Before she realized she had emptied most of her closet into various bags. She walked over to her dresser and did the same thing. After emptying out her dressers, she walked into the bathroom, the bathroom that Luke had completely renovated, she grabbed her make-up off the counter and in a fit of rage began to throw what little possessions Luke still had in her bathroom around. As she was emptying out her closest and dresser, she realized just how much Luke was missing from her life in the past few months. They were supposed to be getting married soon and Luke barely had any possessions at her house. She saw the flannel shirt she loved, the one she had stolen to wear, laying across a chair in her bedroom she picked it up one last time and inhaled its scent, the scent that no matter what she tried would not leave the shirt. No matter how many times she wore it, the shirt still smelled of Luke. Before walking out of the room, she placed the shirt back down on the chair. She turned and walked out of the room with her bags in her hands. She had packed everything she would need for however long she decided to stay away.

Once she was downstairs she took her bags out to her jeep. Luckily, no one was around to see her packing up her possessions. Surprisingly, she had packed pretty fast, faster than she would normally pack anyways. After packing up her jeep, she walked back inside for one last look at her house. Standing in her kitchen she looked down at her left hand. The hand on which sat an engagement ring that Luke gave her promising that he would marry her one day. The ring that symbolized that they would be married on June 3rd. She couldn't take the ring with her, taking the ring would not be right to Luke. She placed the ring down on the table and walked away. As she walked to the front door she decided she needed to write Luke a note. He deserved that at least. She found a piece of paper and scribbled down a note for Luke. She picked the ring up and set the ring back down on top of the note. Taking one more look around the house, she walked out, locked the door and climbed into her jeep. She drove past the Stars Hollow sign and began her journey to wherever the road led her.

* * *

Luke walked back into the diner. He started pacing around the diner. He couldn't believe her. How could she expect him to jump just because she said so, just because he was the guy that loved her for years before finally doing something about it? He had a daughter to consider, a daughter he just found out a about a few months ago, a daughter who he didn't even know existed until she decided to walk into his diner one day for her science project. He couldn't just leave and go elope. He walked up to his apartment and sat down on the couch. As he looked around the apartment, he realized just how absent he had been from Lorelai's life lately. They were supposed to be getting married. They were supposed to live together and maybe one day have their own family together but most of his stuff was at the apartment. He couldn't even remember the last time that he had slept of her house. He spent most of his time either at the diner or with April. He began to think about how Lorelai acted over the past few months, she acted like she was fine with him getting to know April by himself but after thinking about it she really wasn't. He could tell she was hurt by him refusing to let her see April. The last time he saw that she was happy was at April's birthday party. He was in over his head trying to plan April a birthday party so he called Lorelai to come save the day. Of course, she had. She knew that he needed her so she came running to help. He was just now realizing how badly he had treated her. He had to make it up to her. He knew just the thing.

He began running around his apartment like crazy. If Lorelai wanted to elope then he would elope. He would do anything to make Lorelai happy. He started packing everything he could imagine they would need. He started practically by packing clothes but then realized he needed to pack like Lorelai would. Lorelai would pack everything they would need for any occasion that could pop up along the way. She would pack everything in her house if she could. She wanted to be prepared for anything that could come her way while traveling. Even if something had no chance of happening, Lorelai would still prepare for it. She was crazy like that and he loved every part of it. He started packing even more things, everything he would ever think of. He started making trips down to his truck to load it up by the time he was done, there was more stuff in his truck than any one person could possibly need. It was time to go to Lorelai; it was time for him to announce that he was ready to elope. With that thought in mind, Luke jumped in his truck and headed to her house.

Luke pulled up to the house and noticed her jeep was missing. He jumped out of his truck and ran to the front door. The door was locked. Lorelai never locked her door; she never saw a reason to since they lived in Stars Hollow. Luke found the spare key that she kept hidden and unlocked the front door.

"Lorelai!" he yelled walking into the house. Something felt off about the house to him, the house felt strange, he couldn't quite describe it. "Lorelai!" he yelled even louder bounding up the stairs. He walked into her bedroom, their bedroom, and immediately noticed how the drawers were all open. He ran over to the dresser and noticed most of her stuff was missing. Panic set in. He moved over to the closet and noticed that most of her clothes were missing from the closet too. He noticed that he only had a few shirts hanging up in what should have been their closet. He ran into the bathroom feeling like he was going to be sick. As soon as he entered the bathroom, he noticed what a mess the bathroom was. His few meager possessions he kept at her house were thrown all around the bathroom. As he stood staring at the mess Lorelai had made, one thought popped into his mind. He thought of how Lorelai left on a road-trip with Rory when she called off her engagement to Max.

"No, she couldn't" he yelled aloud as he raced out the bedroom and down the stairs. He looked around for any sign that Lorelai may have left and then he spotted it, a note on the kitchen table. He walked over to the table and noticed her engagement ring sitting on top of the note, his heart immediately sank. When he finally worked up the confidence, he picked up the note and read what Lorelai had written.

"Dear Luke,

If you're reading this then I left Stars Hollow. I cannot stay here in this house that we renovated together. I cannot stay in this house with all these memories of us. I cannot stay in this town anymore. This is your town; you've been here the longest. You promised Taylor that if we ever broke up you would close up the diner and leave town but you cannot do that. I can do that however. I can pack up my life and just leave. That's what I'm doing. I'm not sure when I will come back or if I will ever come back. I couldn't leave without leaving you something. You deserve at least a note to tell you that I'm leaving. The ring is also on the table, it was not right for me to take it. So, I'm giving it back. I love you Luke but I can't stay here and face the memories every day. Goodbye Luke.

Lorelai."

As he read the note tears began to roll down his face. He couldn't believe he actually lost her. He just thought she was being her usual over-dramatic self, that they could work things out when they sat down to talk. She had walked out of his life and he had just let her. Luke sank onto the floor and sobbed openly. He was never one to cry over anything but the love of his life left and he had no idea where she was. He didn't even know if she would ever see her again and that thought scared him. He stood up and grabbed her ring off the table, placing the ring in his shirt pocket he vowed that he would do anything to get her back.

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**That's the first chapter. The next chapter will be a time-jump into the future one year later. That's the whole basis for the story anyways but I wanted to set up what happened the night of the ultimatum from both points of view. I wanted to show how Lorelai felt and how Luke felt. I will try to do the story from both points of view as the story goes gone.**

**I was thinking of doing the cliché Lorelai finds out she's pregnant after the ultimatum thing but I'm not sure. I really like the idea even though it is cliché, what do you guys think? If it gets a resounding no then I do have another idea. So vote down below in the reviews please. I know that seems like I'm giving away the story but I really would like your opinion.**

**I'm also working on another story entitled "Something to Believe In." If you haven't read it you should go check it out. **


	2. Back in Stars Hollow

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

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One year later:

Lorelai lay awake in bed trying to go back to sleep. Her mind kept flashing back to the night she gave Luke the ultimatum, the night she left Stars Hollow with no real destination in mind and the night she lost the one man that had always been there for her. After leaving Stars Hollow that fateful night she drove until she found a small bed and breakfast in Litchfield. She was exhausted; her crying and packing frenzy completely wiped her out. So she decided to stay at the bed and breakfast for at least one night. The next morning she knew she knew that she needed to call Rory and inform her of what happened. Rory drove out to the bed and breakfast and stayed with her mother. Lorelai called Sookie and told her she was taking a few vacation days after what happened with Luke, she was not sure when she would be back but the inn would be okay without her for a few days. A few days though had turned into a year.

The past year had been full of changes for Lorelai. She managed to secure a small apartment in Litchfield which is where she had been living since she left Stars Hollow. Rory visited her constantly at her new place but also spent some of her time in Stars Hollow. Their house had been just sitting there ever since Lorelai left. Rory took care of the house whenever she came into town. She was still the owner of The Dragonfly but she just did most of her work from home. She also worked as a part-time event planner with a company in Litchfield. She only took the job because she needed to get out of her apartment. Planning events gave her a chance to meet new people. The only new person she had met before event planning was Steven. He was a resident in the same apartment building as Lorelai. They became friends not long after Lorelai arrived in Litchfield but the friendship quickly grew into a relationship. The pair had been dating for three months before Lorelai received an invitation to Mia's wedding. **(The timeline may be different than it was on the show when Lorelai attended Mia's wedding but this is a completely different story so…). **She was reluctant to go at first thinking that Luke would there but eventually decided to go. When Lorelai told Mia everything that happened in her life, Mia was the one to convince her to go back to Stars Hollow to make amends with Luke. She did not want too but knew that she couldn't run away forever. She had to get back to Stars Hollow one day, the Dragonfly needed her, Sookie wanted her back and she wanted to go back.

Lorelai got out of bed and looked around her apartment. In the corner were several bags filled with things she would need for a trip back to Stars Hollow. She wasn't sure if she would be able to stay in Stars Hollow for good but she was at least going to stay for a few days. She already made the necessary arrangements with her house which meant having Rory make sure the house was ready to be lived in once again. She walked into her bathroom and got ready for the day. She had several errands to take care of around Litchfield before she could head back to Stars Hollow which meant she would not get back to Stars Hollow until tonight. She liked the idea of sneaking into town in the middle of the night. She planned to go see Luke first to inform him that he was in town before anyone else could tell him. She finished getting ready and walked out of her apartment rushing to get everything ready for her trip back to Stars Hollow.

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Luke was opening up the diner like he always did. As he was taking the chairs off of the tables he thought back to when Lorelai gave him the ultimatum. He blamed himself for everything. He beat himself up so much over the past year because he just let her walk away. Letting her walk away was his biggest regret in life. Every day he thought if he could change just one thing in his life, he would change that night. He would not let her walk away. He would try his best to work out everything between them. He was ready to elope if that is what she really wanted but he couldn't go back and change things. He made a mistake one night and now he was paying for it.

When he discovered that Lorelai left Stars Hollow after the ultimatum, he tried to find her. He waited at her house for days after she left just hoping that she could change her mind and come back. He even went to her parent's house to see if she went there. Lorelai had already informed them of everything that happened and told them not to tell Luke where she was so they were no help to him. One day while he was waiting at the house, Rory pulled up. Luke ran out to meet her hoping that Lorelai was with her but Rory came alone. Rory came by to check in on the house like she told her mother she would. Luke begged Rory to tell him where Lorelai was but Rory couldn't tell him. All she could tell him is that Lorelai was fine and she would talk when she was ready. He had to give her time. Luke offered to watch the house for Rory and he was really the one taking care of it for Lorelai. Rory didn't tell her mother that Luke was watching the house; she knew how her mother would react. This house was a part of him too though and he did not want to see it fall apart.

The diner remained closed for two weeks after the ultimatum. Luke didn't care how much money he was losing, he was just doing his best to find Lorelai. After Rory told him that she needed space, he decided to open back up the diner. He had no other choice; he couldn't close the diner down for good he needed to make a living. He continued on with his life as normal as he could during the day but at night he stayed awake cursing himself for letting Lorelai go. Drinking beer had become a past time of his over the past few months; it was the only thing that allowed him to forget Lorelai momentarily. Even though he didn't sleep much anymore, he quickly fell back into his same old routine. Today would be a day like every other. Luke would open the diner and the same old people would come in. Babette and Patty would sit at their table gossiping over everything, Kirk would come in and annoy him about his order until Luke would either threaten to throw him out or make his bizarre order and Taylor would probably come in annoying him about one thing or another. Luke tried to hide his heartbreak from everyone in Stars Hollow but it was hard when they would decide to gossip on what happened between him and Lorelai. After almost breaking down a few times in the diner, no one was allowed to come in talking about Lorelai or the night that she left. The only person that dared utter her name around him was Rory because she came by to check on him every now and then just like she checked on her mother.

Luke broke out of his thoughts and continued with his ritual of opening his diner. Today would be a day like every other day since Lorelai left and all he could do was take it one day at a time.

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Lorelai arrived back at her apartment later that day. She was finally finished with her preparations for her trip. Steven was at her apartment waiting on her when she got home. He had prepared her an early dinner because he wanted to see her before she left. Steven was a great guy although he was everything Luke wasn't. Luke was the strong, silent type while Steven was loud and outgoing like herself. Luke never got any of her zany movie references while Steven did. Steven was great at keeping up with her and all her antics.

"So you're headed back to Stars Hollow tonight?" Steven asked while sitting down beside Lorelai at the table.

"Yeah, I left my inn for over a year and I really need to get back. Plus, like Mia said I need to make amends with Luke. I've moved on, he should too." Lorelai said not quite sure she believed herself when she said she moved on. She still thought about Luke every day and every night but Steven was a nice distraction. She told him all about Luke while they were friends and he was very understanding. He was the one person that was there for her when she moved to Litchfield. She wasn't entirely sure why she started a relationship with him but she found herself liking him more and more every day.

"I understand. I think the whole making-amends thing will be good for you. I think it will really help you get on with your life." Steven said.

"I know. Thanks for dinner tonight. I have a few more things to pack so I'll be in my room." Lorelai informed him getting up from the table.

Steven stood up as well, "okay I will take care of these dishes while you do that." Steven said placing a kiss on her cheek.

Lorelai walked back to her bedroom and double-checked to make sure she had everything for her trip. She didn't really need to check her bags again considering she had been packed for days now but she just didn't want to talk about Luke with Steven. Steven was supposed to be just a transition guy but they had formed a friendship and then a relationship. He was a nice guy and she liked being around him but she couldn't help but feel she rushed into this relationship but then again he was there for her when Luke wasn't. He didn't hide things from her like Luke had. He was an open book and she really like that about him. About thirty minutes had passed before Lorelai picked up her bags and headed out of her room. Steven was done with the dishes and waiting on her. She took one last look around her apartment and walked out the door with Steven following close behind. When they got to her jeep, Steven helped her put the bags into the back.

"I'm going to miss you." Steven said wrapping his arms around her.

"Me too." She replied before breaking their embrace. "This is something I have to do though. I will let you know when I'm coming back."

"Okay just make sure to call me when you get a chance." Steven smiled.

"I will. I really need to go now." Lorelai said.

"I will let you get on your way then." Steven said placing a light kiss on her lips.

"Bye Steven." Lorelai said climbing into her jeep and driving away.

"Bye Lorelai." He waved as she drove off.

Lorelai began her drive back to Stars Hollow. She was busy trying to not talk herself out of this trip. She needed to talk to Luke, she needed a chance to explain things and she just needed to see him one last time.

Lorelai drove past the Stars Hollow sign and decided to go in the direction of the diner. Stars Hollow was quiet at this time. No one was out and about which Lorelai was thankful for. She did not want to cause a disturbance amongst the Stars Hollow residents tonight. She needed to tell Luke that she was back in town before anyone else found out. She could not go home first because Babette would see her jeep and then everyone would know she was back within a matter of minutes. No she had to go to Luke's first, she told herself as he stopped in front of the diner. She looked in the window and saw Luke at the counter scribbling on some papers. With her confidence still intact she jumped out of her car and walked into the diner, the bells signaled her arrival as usual.

"We're closed." Luke said without looking up to see who walked into his diner. Lorelai stayed silent for a few minutes hoping Luke would look up and notice her. "I said we're closed." Luke barked out when he didn't hear the bells ringing out signaling that the person had left.

"I know…I just wanted too….I just needed too….Hi Luke." Lorelai finally said all the sudden finding her voice to sound small and weak.

Luke stopped writing when he heard her voice; the sweet voice that he hadn't heard in a year, the voice that belonged to the woman he still loved. He didn't dare look up. He could not stand to look into her beautiful blue eyes.

"I just came by to let you know that I will be back in Stars Hollow." Lorelai said sounding a bit more confident. Luke stayed quiet staring down at the counter in front of him. The silence in the room was deafening until Lorelai spoke up again.

"Luke will you please look at me? Please Luke." Lorelai begged; she was desperate to see his face.

"How long?" Luke said quietly.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"I asked how long." Luke said finally looking up at Lorelai. She was just as beautiful as the day she left not that he thought she would change that much. She looked exactly the same yet somehow something was different. He looked into her eyes and noticed that were the same dark blue that they would change too when she was upset. However, he didn't see the familiar sparkle in her eyes that was always there no matter her mood.

Lorelai gasped when Luke looked up at her. He looked so different yet so much of the same. She noticed that he hadn't bothered to shave in the past few days; a growth of stubble covered his face. His hair was much longer than she remembered it. His hair now stuck out under his baseball cap in tiny untamed little curls. Luke would never let his hair get this long, she thought. His eyes just appeared sad like there was no life at all behind them. He was no longer wearing the blue baseball cap she had purchased so long ago instead it was replaced with a simple black cap. Lorelai snapped out of her thoughts when Luke spoke again.

"How long are you here for?" Luke said catching himself before he said her name. He could not bring himself to say her name since she left.

"I don't know. I haven't decided." Lorelai confessed. "I just wanted you to be the first one to know I was back."

"Why are you back anyways?" Luke asked.

"I needed to come back. I have the inn to take care of. I needed to see you." Lorelai said.

"Why, just so you can leave me again? Let me know when you decide to leave again." Luke spat out walking away.

"Luke…" Lorelai began to say before trailing off. "I went to Mia's wedding and she was the one that encouraged me to come here and talk to you. Mia told me I needed to come back to Stars Hollow, that I could no longer run away from my problems and that I needed to make amends with you."

"What the hell does that mean? Make amends?" Luke questioned angrily.

"I don't know. I figured we could talk about everything that happened."

"Like how you left just hours after yelling at me in the middle of the street? How you demanded that I marry you on the spot?" Luke yelled.

Lorelai stayed quiet, she knew Luke was angry but she just didn't know what to say to him. She fought the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. She did not want to cry in front of him, she could not appear weak this time.

"I had to leave Luke. I could not stay here. I just didn't know what to do. I could not stay in my house."

"Our house, Lorelai. Our house!" Luke yelled. "We renovated it together, it was our house!"

"No, it was my house! For it to be considered our house we both needed to live there but you weren't there. You still lived in your apartment. You had very few possessions at the house. If it was our house then you should have been there! When I left that night, I noticed just how absent you were from my life!" Lorelai shouted back.

"I had April to consider! I needed my apartment for her."

"I know that, Luke. I know that!"

"Well apparently you didn't know that the night you demanded I run away with you and get eloped. You didn't even consider her then." Luke shouted crossing the diner to stand in front of her.

"I considered April for months before then. I considered her every time I wasn't allowed in the diner because she was there. I considered her every time we couldn't be together because April needed you. I considered her from the day you told me about her. I knew that she needed to get to know her father. I knew that you wanted to be there for her unlike how Christopher was never there for Rory growing up. I just didn't think considering April would mean I couldn't spend time with you. I didn't think it meant that you would push me away from everything, that you would ignore me, your fiancée." Lorelai yelled now with tears rolling down her cheeks. She tried to fight the tears but there was no use.

Luke reached out to touch her; he was still so mad at her but he couldn't stand to see her cry. Lorelai quickly backed away. "No Luke, don't touch me. I….I….I need to go." Lorelai said turning away from Luke quickly and walking out the door. She jumped into her jeep and drove to her house.

* * *

Luke stood helplessly in the diner as he watched her walk away again and he did nothing to stop her. He sat down at a table and put his head in his hands. He couldn't believe he let her walk away again. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the necklace that hung around his neck. The necklace was a simple silver chain that held Lorelai's engagement ring. He placed the ring on the chain when he found it on the kitchen table and had worn it every day since she left. He never let anyone see him with it though. He was still holding onto the hope that one day he would be together with Lorelai again.

* * *

Lorelai drove back to her house and carried her bags inside. She didn't want to fight with Luke when she went to the diner. She just wanted to announce her arrival but everything quickly backfired. She unlocked the door and walked into the house dropping her bags. Everything was exactly how left it, maybe a little cleaner but Rory did take care of the house for her while she was gone. She never wanted to sell the house even though she left. She couldn't bring herself to sell the house that Rory grew up in, no matter how many memories of Luke it included. She walked around the house taking everything in once again. Everything reminded her of Luke. She really didn't want to walk up to her bedroom considering the mess she left it in but she needed sleep. Her fight with Luke had drained her. She wanted nothing else than to curl up and sleep. She remembered she needed to call Steven but told herself she would call him tomorrow.

She made her way to her bedroom and noticed the room was actually cleaned up. The drawers were pushed back into the dresser, hangers were not scattered across the floor from her tearing clothes out of her closest and her bathroom was in complete order. She spotted her favorite flannel of Luke's still sitting on the chair and made a promise to herself that she would pack up everything of Luke's tomorrow. She was in such a rush to leave that she never made a Luke box. Tomorrow everything would be packed away and hidden in some closet in the house. Right now, she wanted nothing more to fall in bed and sleep. However, sleep was not forthcoming. She thought of how hurt looked Luke in the diner. How upset and angry he was with her, she had expected him to be angry but never to that degree. She never saw him look so defeated. She thought that she was finally moving on and getting over him but seeing him for the first time since that night proved her wrong. She was still hopelessly in love with him. She was still as much in love with him as the night she chose to walk away. The one night that changed everything.

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**That concludes this chapter. I wanted to have Luke and Lorelai see each other again before anything else happened. I had no real plan for this chapter but as I began to write it all just happened.**

**Thanks for the feedback on this story. I really appreciate it! **

**I decided to not go with the pregnancy storyline because like everyone said and I thought it is just too cliché. A pregnancy would just complicate things even more. I had a different reason for Lorelai coming back to Stars Hollow but then I could not think of anything to write for it. So I decided to use the idea that Mia encouraged her to come back and talk to Luke and to not run away from her problems.**


	3. Coming back causes a stir

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

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Lorelai didn't really feel like getting out of bed the next morning but she had already planned to go to the inn today. She forced herself out of bed and got ready for the day. She definitely was not ready to face the residents of Stars Hollow. She knew that they would be full of questions on why she left, where she went to and why she is back in Stars Hollow. Half of the town probably already knew she was back in town considering Babette had probably already spotted her jeep outside.

She found an empty box in her closet and decided to use it for her Luke box. The first thing she grabbed to put into the box was the flannel she stole from Luke one night; her favorite flannel that she would wear to bed. She grabbed the few shirts that he still had at her house and placed them in the box as well. She carried the box into the bathroom and grabbed his razor and shaving cream that was still in there. Lorelai continued walking through the house grabbing any little thing that reminded her of Luke; the spatula that he used to cook with, the box of tea that she kept at the house specifically for him and some little notes that he used to leave for her around the house in random spots. The box was overflowing by the time she was done. She walked out the front door to put the box in the garage. On her way to the garage she was stopped by Babette.

"Lorelai, sugah is that you?" Babette yelled running across the yard. "I noticed your jeep outside this morning and was wondering if it was really you. I know Rory has stayed over here a few times while you were gone."

"Hey Babette," Lorelai said plastering on a fake smile. "I'm really here."

"Are you back in town for good?"

"I'm not sure Babette. I have some things to do here but I don't know how long it will take." Lorelai said truthfully.

"Oh ok. What's in the box?" Babette asked trying to sneak a peek inside.

"This is just some things that were taking up room in the house so I'm putting them in the garage for now. Listen, I would love to stay and chat but I really have to get going Babette." Lorelai said walking into the garage.

"Well see you around then doll." Babette said walking back to her house.

Lorelai sat the box down and walked back into her house. She laid her head against the wall. God, the people in this town could be so nosy. She hasn't even been in town for 24 hours and she was already annoyed with the questions. She checked the time and decided it was time for her to get to the inn. She grabbed her purse and jacket and walked back out the door and climbed in her jeep. There was no way she was going to try and walk anywhere today. Babette probably already called everyone to tell them that she was really back. She stared straight ahead as she drove not paying attention to the people on the roads that were staring as her jeep passed. She didn't dare look up as she passed Luke's. She couldn't look at him again, not yet anyways.

* * *

Luke looked up as her jeep passed the diner. He couldn't believe that she was back. Last night when she came into his diner he thought that he wanted to hurt her just as much as she hurt him the night she left. He said things he knew would hurt her but when he saw just how hurt she was, he could not stand it. He hated himself for causing her that pain. He hated himself for not seeing how much she was hurt by the April situation.

Luke walked over to the door of the diner and flipped the sign back to closed. He placed his 'gone fishing' sign on the door. He was not going to be subject to people's pitying looks today. Most people probably already knew she was back considering she lived next to one of the biggest gossips in Stars Hollow. He was not going to listen to people talk in hushed whispers about him and whether or not he knew Lorelai was back in town. He couldn't face them not after their fight in the diner last night.

Luke walked back up to his apartment and grabbed a few beers out of the fridge, a practice he had grown accustomed to ever since Lorelai left.

* * *

Lorelai arrived at the inn and headed straight for the kitchen. She ignored Michel's comment about her finally coming back, she was not in the mood to deal with him. All she wanted to do was go see her best friend. Sookie knew all about what happened with Luke the night Lorelai gave him the ultimatum. Sookie was the only person besides Rory that Lorelai kept in contact with after leaving. Sookie never tried to push her to come back to Stars Hollow even though she wanted to see her best friend.

"Hey Sookie!" Lorelai shouted walking into the kitchen.

"Lorelai? Oh my god! Lorelai!" Sookie shouted running to her best friend and wrapping her in a hug.

"So how are you Sookie? Anything new since we last talked?" Lorelai asked breaking from the embrace.

"Well I'm pregnant again." Sookie said nervously.

"What? How is that possible? Why didn't you tell me! I thought Jackson had a vasectomy."

"He never had one! He didn't even bother telling me either. I was so mad at him." Sookie explained. **(A/N: I know Sookie was pregnant in Season 7 for this reason so I decided to stick with it. This could be another reason that Lorelai decides to stay in Stars Hollow near her friend.)**

"Sookie, this can be great though. You will have another cute little baby besides you and Jackson love each other and he's a great dad." Lorelai said reassuring her friend.

"I know. So do you know how long you're staying?" Sookie asked.

"I don't know. I really shouldn't leave the inn again. I've missed being here every day but I just don't know if I can stay in this town for too long."

"I understand. Have you seen Luke yet?" Sookie asked unsure if her friend wanted to talk about him.

"Oh yeah, I went by the diner last night when I got in. I didn't want him to hear from someone else that I was in town so I felt like I needed to tell him." Lorelai explained.

"How did that go?" Sookie asked when she noticed Lorelai's expression change she asked "So I take it that it went not so good?"

"It was horrible. I just went by there to tell him that I was back in town and he wouldn't even look at me which I completely understand. Then it started with him saying I was going to leave him again which was not completely wrong because I may leave but then we just got into a huge fight about those last few months we were together. I just got too upset and left." Lorelai said with tears threatening to fall.

"I'm sorry sweetie." Sookie comforted her friend.

"I don't know why I thought I could just come back to town and fix things like Mia said. Listen, I need to go over some paperwork for the inn for the past year. I will be in my office." Lorelai said walking out of the kitchen.

* * *

A small crowd had gathered outside of Luke's diner. They were all murmuring about the 'gone fishing' sign that was on the door.

"I guess he knows that Lorelai is back in town." Babette said to Miss Patty.

"I wonder if she told him that she was coming back." Patty replied.

"I don't know but he hasn't closed down the diner since she left." Babette said.

"Wait, Lorelai's back?" Kirk asked.

"When did she come back?" LuLu asked.

"I'm not sure. I just noticed her jeep outside this morning. It was not there when I went to bed. She probably got in sometime last night." Babette explained.

"I wonder why she came back maybe I can find out later." Patty said.

"I tried to talk to her this morning but she said she said she didn't have time to talk. She told me she wasn't sure how long she was going to be here." Babette said to the people that were gathered around the diner.

"I guess there's no use in standing around outside." Patty said.

The crowd slowly dispersed whispering of Lorelai's return. Each person was formulating their own opinion of why Lorelai was back in town. Some assumed she had been pregnant when she left and came back to tell Luke about the baby although Babette had not seen any signs of a baby, some assumed she had a new man in her life and came to settle things and some assumed that she just came back because Stars Hollow was her home.

* * *

Back at the inn, Lorelai was sitting in the office with her head buried in her hands. She thought she was fine with coming back but everything was just proving to be too much. She would have to stick it out for at least a few more days to get things settled at the inn again though. She thought back once again to her fight with Luke last night. They had fought before but this was unlike anything else. She didn't even know where to begin to make amends with him. He was right last night, what did she mean by make amends. Mia told her to come back and not run away anymore so that's what she did. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. She knew that a fight would probably erupt every time she tried to talk to Luke. There was just still so much unresolved between them. He looked so hurt last night in the diner; he looked like a shell of a broken person. She put that pain there, she was the reason he looked that hurt; the reason that he was angry and upset. She couldn't stand herself for treating him like that but he treated her bad as well that last few months of their relationship; the last few months when they were planning their wedding we're supposed to be happy not heartbreaking. Her thoughts were lost when her phone rang. She looked down at the name that popped up on her phone and groaned but answered the phone anyways.

"Hi Steven." She greeted with fake cheer in her voice.

"Hey Lorelai, I thought you were going to call me when you got there."

"I was but it was late and I was really tired by the time I got back. Sorry." Lorelai said.

"It's fine. I was just worried about you. So how are you?" Steven asked.

"I'm great." Lorelai lied.

"You sure? You don't sound too great."

"No, I'm great really, just overwhelmed with catching up with people."

"Okay, so have you talked to Luke yet?"

"No, I haven't. I haven't seen him yet. The diner was closed last night when I got here so I went straight home." Lorelai lied again. She wasn't even sure why she was lying at this point.

"Oh okay, well I was just calling to check in on you but I have to get back to work now. I miss you."

"I miss you too. Bye Steven." Lorelai said hanging up before he could say anything back.

She laid her head down on her desk and screamed in frustration; maybe she should just go back to her apartment and leave Stars Hollow for good again. No, she told herself, I have to stay and fix things. There was suddenly a knock at the door.

"I'm busy." Lorelai said.

"Too busy to see me?" Rory asked stepping into the office.

"Rory!" Lorelai shouted jumping out of her seat to hug her daughter. "I've missed you but what are you doing in Stars Hollow?"

"You told me you were coming back and I knew that you would probably need someone to talk too so I decide to come visit."

**(A/N: Rory has not graduated yet but she will soon. I realize this may be screwing the show's timeline up and my timeline may not make a whole lot of sense but I wanted Rory to be close to her mother so she is still in school. I'm not going to make Luke and Lorelai reunite like in the show though but this is an L/L fic so don't worry.)**

"What about school?" Lorelai asked sitting back down.

"I can manage to come home for a few days to see you. So how have things been since you've been back?" Rory asked.

"Oh you know Stars Hollow, gossips everywhere. Babette cornered me this morning asking if I was really back and how long I was staying. She ran over as soon as I walked outside this morning. I should have realized as soon as she realized I was back she would be over. I wouldn't be surprised if she's camped out in the yard waiting for my return so she can interrogate me again." Lorelai joked.

"That's Stars Hollow for you. What about Luke? Have you seen or talked to him?" Rory asked cautiously.

Lorelai stayed quiet for a few minutes after Lorelai asked her about Luke. She didn't want to tell her out of fear that she would break down crying again like she did last night.

"Mom, what happened with Luke? You're quiet. You're never quiet unless something terrible happened. What's wrong?"

"It's just…..he…..coming back here was a mistake Rory. I cannot fix anything. Some things are just meant to stay broken." Lorelai confessed.

"Tell me what happened. Did you two get into a fight or something?"

Lorelai took a deep breath and explained everything that happened last night starting with her first setting foot in the diner. She told of how Luke wouldn't even look at her for a few minutes. How she had to beg so he would look up from the counter. She told Rory about how their talk quickly escalated into a fight and they stood screaming at each other in the diner. How defeated and hurt Luke looked when he finally decided to look at her. How she broke down crying in front of him though she tried to fight it and how Luke reached out to comfort her but she walked away. Lorelai finished her explanation and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Oh mom.." Rory said getting out of her chair to comfort her mother. "Things will be okay."

"No they won't Rory. You didn't see how he looked last night, you weren't there listening to him scream at you."

"I know I wasn't but I know Luke. You promised Mia that you wouldn't run away again. You promised her that you would talk to Luke. I know you're hurt but you have to talk to him again. By talk, I mean calmly talk. No, screw that yell at each other if you have too but you need to talk to him in some way. Write emails, use Morse code, use hand puppets but just talk to him." Rory said trying to lighten the mood a little.

"That Yale education is really paying off kid. You're so smart." Lorelai said smiling at her daughter. "I doubt he wants to talk to me after last night though."

"Just give him a little while but I'm sure that he wants to talk to you too. Now how about tonight we can talk more, we can order Chinese and buys tons of junk food. It's been a while since we have done that."

"Sounds good kid, I will be finished here in a little while. I can pick up the junk food and you can get the Chinese." Lorelai suggested.

"Are you sure? I mean if you go to Doose's, the whole town will see and probably question you about everything."

"I'll drive there that way I can make a quick getaway if I need too. Plus, I have to face the town. I cannot stay hidden away forever. I'll threaten them if I have too." Lorelai giggled.

"Okay, I'm going to go by Lane's first then I will see you at home." Rory said walking out of Lorelai's office.

Lorelai smiled after her daughter left. Rory was right she should just let Luke cool off for a little while before trying to talk to him again. After reviewing some paperwork for the inn and checking up on the rest of the staff she decided it was time to head home for the day, she just had to stop by Doose's on the way. She walked out the front door and climbed into her jeep driving toward Doose's.

* * *

Lorelai walked into Doose's a few minutes later grabbing a basket on the way in. She quickly filled the basket with plenty of junk food and was walking to get ice cream when she bumped into someone.

"Oh sorry…" she apologized before looking at the person she crashed into "Luke…" she gasped.

The pair stood there staring at each other for several seconds before Lorelai spoke up again.

"I guess I'll just go." She said pointing to the ice cream before stepping to the side to walk by Luke.

"Yea, you're good at walking away." Luke mumbled under his breath before he realized what he has just said. He just hoped Lorelai didn't hear him. Lorelai heard him though.

"Excuse me?" she said turning around to stare at him. "What did you just say?" she asked walking closer to him.

"Nothing." Luke said.

"No, see when I asked you what you said I already knew. I heard what you said when you thought you mumbled it quietly. I was just trying to see if you would actually say it to me. I wasn't asking because I didn't hear you." Lorelai stated starting to get angry.

"Fine, I said you're good at walking away." Luke said his voice rising with anger. Lorelai stood in shock at what he just said. "What? You wanted the truth about what I said."

"At least you didn't take two months to tell me this time." Lorelai smirked before walking to check-out completely forgetting about the ice cream in the process. Luke stood in the aisle shocked at how blunt she was being.

Lorelai walked out after paying for her food and climbed into her jeep. Before driving away, she laid her head down on the steering wheel and began to cry, not worried about who may see her crying. She managed not to cry in front of Luke again but she couldn't hold the tears back any longer. Luke walked out shortly after she did. When he saw her jeep still outside and her sobbing on the steering wheel, his heart broke all over again. He wanted so desperately to tell her that he was still in love with her and that he always would be. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and promise to never hurt her again but every time he saw her, his night flashed back to the night she left leaving only a note behind. The anger and heartache he experienced that night flamed up in him every time he saw her.

* * *

Lorelai wiped her eyes not noticing Luke still standing on the sidewalk watching her and drove off towards home.

Back at the house, Rory had already ordered Chinese and was setting it up in the living room knowing her mother would probably want to eat in there. Rory heard the front door open and ran to greet her mom. She noticed her mother's tear-streaked face and immediately wrapped her in a hug.

"What happened mom?" Rory asked.

"I forgot the ice cream." Lorelai mumbled.

"What?" Rory asked stepping back to look at her mother.

"I forgot the ice cream."

"Okay, this is so not about ice cream. I mean I know you love it but you would not cry over it so what happened?"

"I ran into Luke." Lorelai said walking into the living room and falling down on the couch.

"Oh no, so another fight happened, I'm guessing."

"A small fight-ish thing happened."

"What's that supposed to be mean?" Rory asked.

"It wasn't the screaming match we had in the diner but some harsh words were exchanged."

"Tell me everything."

"I walk into Doose's and start grabbing different things for us tonight and then I walk straight into someone. I look up and notice its Luke. We just stare at each other for a few minutes before I tell him that I should go, referring to me going to get ice cream, and he says that I was good at leaving. I was completely shocked because Luke would never say anything like that, I mean not to me anyways. So I asked him what he said and he lied and said nothing. Then I told him that I knew what he said so he confessed and said it straight to my face this time. So I told him that I at least he was being honest with me. Then I walked off and forgot the ice cream and cried in the jeep and here I am now."

"I knew I should have gone to the store too." Rory said.

"No Rory, I cannot be a hermit while I'm back. I can't live like that. It's depressing. Plus the town doesn't need another hermit, they have Luke."

"I know mom but maybe I should go with you in case places in case anything happens."

"I don't need a chaperone Rory. If I'm going to stay here then I just have to deal with the fact that Luke is here too and that there is always a possibility of seeing him. I'm not going to live in fear." Lorelai said getting angry.

"I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me." Rory said trying to calm her mother down.

"I'm not. I'm just so…I don't know how I feel right now." Lorelai confessed.

"I know well let's talk about something happier like did you know that Sookie is pregnant?" Rory asked.

"I just found out today. Wait, how did you know this before me? When did she tell you?"

"Two weeks ago. I thought she told you. The whole town knows." Rory explained.

"No, she just told me today. Well, I'm not really part of this town anymore so I don't hear the gossip." Lorelai said sadly.

"You're still a part of this town."

"No, I'm not. I haven't been a part of this town since I left."

"You'll always be a part of this town. I mean the Dragonfly is here and that's your creation." Rory said.

"I know. I just wish I could live here again. I miss this house."

"You can still live here."

"No, I can't. My arrival has proved that. I can't run into Luke without breaking down in tears. I mean, it's been a year, I should be over everything. I should be able to walk into a store and see him and be somewhat casual. I can't live in the same town with him when I'm still in love with him." Lorelai gasped when she realized what she said. She confessed to herself that she was still in love with Luke but never to anyone else. She pretended to be over him when anyone asked.

"Wait, did you just say what I think you said? You're still in love with Luke?" Rory asked. She was not shocked at all. She figured her mother was still in love with him but waited for her to admit it.

Lorelai only nodded at Rory's question.

"Why did you leave then?"

"I already told you. I cannot live here and face him. I cannot hear people whispering about what went wrong when I pass them on the street. I cannot face the stupid, sympathetic looks that everyone has to give me." Lorelai explained.

"You two probably would have been able to work something out if you would have just stayed here. No, you decided to run away again, just like you did when you broke the engagement to Max." Rory shouted.

"Rory." Lorelai warned.

"No, you've never tried to make it work with anyone. You run away before you can make the total commitment to someone." Rory yelled with tears streaming down her face.

"No, you see Rory, I was not ready for that with Max, I couldn't marry him because I knew that it would never work. I was ready for the full commitment to Luke. I was ready to start my life with him but he wasn't ready. He kept a huge secret from me for two months when I should have been the first one he told. He had just promised that we were going to be honest with each other about everything but he broke that promise."

"So what just because Luke wouldn't commit you had to run into the arms of another man? I'm surprised you didn't run back to dad. You don't always have to be with a guy you know." Rory smirked.

"I can't believe you. I'm not listening to this anymore. I'm going to bed!" Lorelai shouted while marching up the stairs. Tears were now freely falling from her eyes once again.

"Mom, I'm sorry." Rory started to say.

"Rory, I don't want to talk to you right now." Lorelai shouted before disappearing into her bedroom.

"Fine!" Rory yelled at the empty stairs before slamming the door to her room.

Back upstairs, Lorelai collapsed onto her bed sobbing. Rory was right. She was so lonely after Luke told her that he wouldn't marry her that she had no choice but to run away. She knew she was only using Steven as a way to get over Luke, which was failing. Being in the house didn't help either. She had gotten all new furniture for her apartment but kept all the old furniture at her house. This was the bed that Luke used to share with her. She had already put new sheets on the bed, ones that didn't smell like him and threw away his pillow so not everything reminded her of Luke. As she lay there in bed thinking, she knew that deep down she wanted to be with Luke. She still wanted to make it work. She wanted to raise a family with Luke. She wanted to be able to provide Luke with other children. She just wasn't sure how Luke felt about her anymore. He looked so hurt by everything that happened she was sure that he would never forgive her. She put him through too much and now she was going to pay the consequences.

* * *

**That's all for this chapter! Thank you so much for taking an interest in this story. Also Luke and Lorelai will talk soon not reunite as a couple talk but just talk about everything that happened since the ultimatum and what caused the ultimatum. I need to get them to be friendly first before anything else.**

**I appreciate all the reviews and follows. Also if you haven't already, check out my other story called "Something to Believe In.". **

**Also I know like it may seem that they are slightly out of character but I loved writing it. I like writing from the whole angst point, it is fun.**

**Danielley: I just decided to not write Paul Anka into the story. I thought I mentioned it but I may have accidentally erased it. So no Paul Anka in the story for now, I may write him in at a later point.**

**MrSchimpf: Thanks for the review. I decided to not go with the pregnancy as you can see like you said it is just too cliché and complicates things.**

**Realityorfiction: No pregnancy but I did kind of use your idea of another guy. That was one idea that was floating around in my head but seeing your reply helped me to write the chapter. Thank you!**

**Joana: Thanks for the review. I will try to update frequently.**

**Kcole6206: I decided to not go with the pregnancy because I would love for them to get back together without a baby in the picture.**

**Alaskanbackdoor: Thanks for the review! I agree Mia was a great person because Lorelai does look up to her but she was also there for Luke at times.**

**Loreliathefourth: Thanks for the review!**

**Ladypuercoloco: Thank you so much! I will try to get more uploaded soon!**


	4. Revelations and Pinky Promises

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

* * *

_Luke was almost asleep when he heard someone walk into his apartment._

_"Lorelai," he whispered sleepily._

_"Yea, it's me." Lorelai said making her way over to the bed. "Did you miss me?" She smirked climbing to bed next to him._

_Lorelai leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I've missed you. I've missed you so much Luke." She said kissing down his chest. "I've missed us. I've missed this. I love you Luke."_

_"I love you too Lorelai." Luke confessed._

_Lorelai climbed on top of Luke, straddling him leaning down to kiss his lips again applying the tiniest bit of suction to his bottom lip, "then why did you let me walk away that night? Why didn't you chase after me?"_

_"I did…..I packed everything….I was ready to elope." Luke struggled to get out as Lorelai was placing light kisses along his jawline._

_"Well you were too late Luke. It's too late." Lorelai smirked getting up off the bed and walking towards the door._

_"No, Lorelai, wait!" Luke shouted jumping out of bed. "Please, wait!"_

_"I'm tired of waiting Luke." Lorelai said tearfully as she walked out the door._

Luke shot up out of bed. He had that dream again. The dream that plagued him every night for 6 months after Lorelai left. He finally thought the dream was gone but Lorelai's return to town must have stirred it back up. He rolled over and glanced at the clock, 4:30. He sighed rolling out of the bed. He needed to open the diner this morning. He wanted to stay up in his apartment all day like yesterday but today that was not an option. April was coming to visit today and no matter how he felt, he needed to be there for her.

* * *

Lorelai was already downstairs and dressed for the day when Rory came out of her room. They both refused to acknowledge each other. They were still upset with each other over their fight last night and neither one wanted to be the first to apologize.

"I'm headed to the inn Rory." Lorelai said before grabbing her purse and keys and leaving the house.

Lorelai jumped into her jeep and drove off before Babette could corner her again. As she passed by the diner, she noticed Luke wiping down the counter and talking to April. She smiled at the two of them together. Luke seemed more comfortable with his daughter now and she was happy about that. She didn't blame April for any of this. She was just a kid that wanted to get to know her dad, she couldn't blame her. Every kid deserved time with their dad but she was still upset that April's appearance caused Luke to be so distant towards her. She sighed and continued driving towards the inn.

* * *

Lorelai arrived at the inn and headed for the kitchen for coffee and to talk to Sookie.

"Hey Sookie." Lorelai said pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Oh, hey. How are you today?" Sookie asked. She was very concerned about how her friend was dealing with being back in town.

"Well, Rory and I got into a fight last night about everything that has happened with Luke recently." Lorelai sighed.

"I'm sorry but you and Rory will make up you always do." Sookie said comforting her.

"I know. I just over-reacted to her. I mean she was right and I just didn't want her to be right." Lorelai explained.

Sookie stopped and turned to face Lorelai, "she was right about what?"

"Everything from how I ran when Luke couldn't commit and how I ran from Max before our wedding and how when things don't work out with one guy, I run to another guy." Lorelai admitted.

Sookie gasped and stared at Lorelai, "Wait another guy? Are you seeing someone?" she questioned.

Lorelai looked down at her shoes and sighed, "sort of."

"Sort of? You either are or you aren't seeing someone." Sookie said.

"I've been dating this guy for three months now." Lorelai admitted sheepishly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sookie questioned.

"I don't know. It wasn't important. I don't even know why I'm with him honestly. I mean talking with Rory last night made me realize that I really only ran to him because he was there and Luke wasn't."

"Oh, honey. If that's really the reason you're with him then maybe you don't need to be with him." Sookie said.

"I know. Sookie, I've really screwed things up, with Rory and with Luke. I don't know if I can fix things anymore. I've been thinking about just going back to Litchfield, it was easier to just ignore everything from there."

"You can fix things with Rory, just apologize to her. I'm sure she will understand. She always does. You cannot ignore this anymore Lorelai. You're back in town and you need to face things. Promise me you will not leave until you at least try and talk to Luke again. This time actually talk. Don't walk away until you at least and try your hardest to figure things out. Promise me that please." Sookie pleaded.

"I promise." Lorelai said.

"Pinky promise?" Sookie asked holding out her pinkie.

"Pinky promise." Lorelai said latching her pinky around Sookie's and laughing. "Now I'm going to check on things around the inn again so see you later Sookie." Lorelai said walking out of the kitchen. She needed to find a time to talk to Luke. April was here today so today was definitely off the list. After closing hours would be best to talk, she thought, that why there are no prying ears from any people in Stars Hollow.

Lorelai walked around the inn checking in and chatting with staff members at the inn. Everyone kept saying how they were happy to have her back, everyone except Michel of course but he would never admit to liking the fact that Lorelai was back at the inn. After checking in on everyone, Lorelai made her way back to her office. As she sat in her office, she thought about how her trip back to Stars Hollow has made her happier than she was her whole time away. Sure, she already cried several times over Luke but she felt most in her element at the Dragonfly. She would love the chance to come back and come to the Dragonfly everyday but she was not sure if that chance would ever come along. If she couldn't at least be civil with Luke then she could never come back. She needed to be able to face Luke every day and have a simple conversation with him without wanting to run home and throw herself into bed. She wanted at the very least to have a friendship with Luke. She admitted that she would love to get back together with Luke but needed to become his friend again before anything else happened.

* * *

Luke was back at the diner spending time with April. This normally wasn't the weekend that April would be at Luke's but her mother had an emergency today so she asked Luke if he would watch April for a few hours. April would be back at school tomorrow since it would be Monday so she wasn't spending the night with Luke. Luke told April that he had to work the morning shift but they could spend the day together doing what she wanted to do.

"So is there anything you would like to do today?" Luke asked his daughter, who was finishing up her breakfast.

"Dad, I told you I'm happy just spending time with you here. I can help out here, you don't need to plan anything special. I can just hang out here." April said. "Plus, I like talking to everyone."

"Are you sure April because we can do anything you want to." Luke said.

"No, really I can stay here plus I have a little homework to do so I need to finish that."

"Okay, do you want to go up to the apartment to do your work?" Luke questioned.

"No, I'll stay down here so I can talk to you while doing the work." April smiled.

Luke smiled back. "Alright whatever you want to do."

April sat at the counter doing some homework while Luke went back to the kitchen to help Cesar with the orders.

* * *

After finishing up some more paperwork at the inn, Lorelai decided she needed to go home and talk to Rory. Sookie made her realize that she needed to apologize to Rory for what happened last night. Besides none of it was really Rory's fault. Rory was just helping her to realize that she screwed up majorly this time and Lorelai just felt ashamed that her daughter noticed how much she messed everything in her life up. Lorelai headed out the door of the inn and climbed into her jeep.

As she headed back home she passed Weston's and decided to stop in for some donuts. Baked goods were always an icebreaker so she hoped the donuts would help warm Rory up so she would forgive her. As she exited Weston's, she heard a voice calling her name. A voice that she had not heard in a year, a voice that she didn't blame for her problems but it wasn't someone she wanted to face.

"Lorelai!" April called rushing out the diner door and over to where Lorelai had parked.

"Hey April," she greeted when the little girl appeared in front of her.

"I haven't seen you around lately." April remarked.

"Yeah, I've been out of town recently." Lorelai said nervously, she wasn't sure if Luke would approve of her talking to April. "Listen, does your dad know where you are?" Lorelai asked. April just smiled up at Lorelai.

"April!" Luke called from the diner door looking around for his daughter. He spotted her talking to Lorelai and made his way over to where they both stood.

"I'm guessing he doesn't" Lorelai joked pointing in the direction that Luke was coming from. "Hi Luke." Lorelai greeted shyly as Luke approached.

"Hey." Luke said before turning to face April. "You can't just run out of the diner without telling me where you are going."

"I just spotted Lorelai and wanted to say hey. I haven't seen her lately so I just wanted to talk."

Luke knew that he needed to keep his cool because having the wrong reaction to the situation would hurt both April and Lorelai. "I understand that April but you still should have asked me before you ran out of the diner." He said.

"I know. I'm sorry Dad." April apologized.

"It's fine just tell me next time. Now, I think we need to get back to the diner. I'm sure Lorelai is busy." Luke said casting a small glance Lorelai's way.

"Okay, well it was nice to see you again Lorelai. Maybe I can talk to you again next time I'm here." April said.

"Yeah, maybe." Lorelai agreed. "Bye April, Luke."

"Bye," they both said in unison. Luke gave her a slight smile as he walked off. Lorelai smiled back as she watched the two disappear back into the diner.

Lorelai climbed back into her jeep and headed back toward the house. Her stomach fluttered when Luke smiled at her. It was a tiny smile that probably meant nothing just him being friendly but at least he was being friendly, she thought.

* * *

When she arrived at the house, she noticed that Rory's car wasn't home. Well, apologizing will have to wait, she thought as she entered the house. As she entered the kitchen to deposit the box of donuts on the table, she thought about moving back to Stars Hollow once again. Stars Hollow was her one true home. This is where she belonged. This is where her daughter grew up. It would be easy to move back here if she could fix things with Luke and after receiving even the smallest of smiles from him today, she thought that fixing things would be easy. Rory and Sookie were right, her and Luke just needed to talk without any other distractions. They needed to get everything out once and for all. They needed to discuss everything, no matter if they were yelling at each other for hours. They were going to talk. She made a promise to Sookie after all and she could not break a promise to her best friend.

Lorelai also thought back to what Sookie said about Steven. If she truly thought about it, she didn't want to be with Steven. She wanted Luke. Even if she couldn't be with Luke again, she didn't want to be with Steven. He was just a poor substitute for Luke, someone she ran to when she had no one else. She needed to call him and tell him everything. When she picked up her phone to call him, she was interrupted by the sound of her daughter calling for her.

"Mom?" Rory called entering the house.

"Kitchen!" Lorelai yelled.

Rory walked into the kitchen and saw her mother sitting at the table. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Lorelai speaking,

"I'm sorry Rory." Lorelai said.

"Hey, you stole my line." Rory joked. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry too."

"Did you bring donuts as an apologetic baked good?" Lorelai said gesturing to the box from Weston's on the table.

"Um, no I didn't."

"Then it's not a true apology." Lorelai joked. "But I will accept your apology anyways even though I should be the only one apologizing." Lorelai said walking over to her daughter and wrapping her in a big hug.

"No, I said many things last night that I should not have said and I'm sorry." Rory said.

"Wait, why don't I make some coffee and we can eat doughnuts and talk." Lorelai suggested walking over to the coffee pot. She quickly made a pot of coffee and waited for it to brew. After the coffee was finished, she grabbed two mugs and filled them with coffee. She handed one off to Rory and grabbed two doughnuts out of the box, one for her and one for her daughter.

"You're right an apology is not an apology without doughnuts." Rory said after polishing off half her doughnut.

"I'm always right about these things. Trust me more." Lorelai said.

"I really am sorry about last night Mom. I was wrong to say all those things about you." Rory apologized.

"No, you were totally right in everything you said. I realized that last night after going to bed. So really I should be thanking you for helping me realize that I screwed up." Lorelai said putting her hand on top of her daughters.

"I'm still sorry. I said some pretty hurtful things last night but I was just mad. I couldn't help it."

"Sweetie, I understand but I needed to hear those things. I needed someone to confront me about running away. I needed a person there to tell me that I've made a huge mess of things, that I'm only screwing myself over by running away from my problems. Mia was the one that told me to come back and not run away anymore and that worked. Also, you helped me realize that I need to fix things too. Hearing all that from you last night just helped me to realize that I needed to be back here. When my daughter can realize how much I messed things up before I can that's a dangerous thing. That means I really screwed things up." Lorelai confessed.

"So, what does this mean now?" Rory asked.

Lorelai took a deep breath, "Well this means that I have to talk to Luke. I need to fix things in some way. Besides Sookie made me promise that I couldn't leave town without facing my problems."

"Sookie made you promise?" Rory asked amused.

"Oh yeah, she made me pinky promise so you know that I can't go back on that." Lorelai laughed.

"That's Sookie for you," Rory giggled.

"Oh, I talked to April today." Lorelai said suddenly.

"What? When?" Rory asked, sitting up suddenly.

"Outside of Weston's. She called my name as I was coming out of the bakery, she was at the diner." Lorelai informed her daughter.

"What did she say?" Rory asked.

"Not much, she just commented on how I haven't been around lately. We stopped talking when Luke walked up."

"Luke? How did that go?"

"He didn't say much to me just talked to April about how she shouldn't leave the diner without permission. He didn't even seem mad that she was talking to me which I thought was strange. He did sort of smile at me when they left though." Lorelai confessed smiling.

"Aww, he smiled at you?" Rory asked giggling.

"It wasn't much but I don't know. I think it will be easier to talk to him now. I don't know, I just feel that he will be willing to actually to talk to me now. Maybe, we can discuss everything that happened." Lorelai said slowly becoming unsure of everything she was saying.

"Yeah, maybe but you know Luke. He could never shut you out for too long. He will be willing to talk." Rory said reassuring her mother.

"Hopefully." Lorelai said trailing off.

"So what about Steven?" Rory asked carefully.

"It was never going to work with him. I was kidding myself to think that it was. I need to break it off with him but doing it over the phone seems impersonal but I think that's how I need to do it. I don't really want to face him right now." Lorelai explained.

"I think that's for the best. He's a nice guy but he is not the one for you."

"Yeah, so when do you need to go back to school?" Lorelai asked.

"Actually, I need to be there tomorrow for my last few classes. The year is coming to an end, you know. I think I will go there for my classes but come home to study because it might be a little quieter here plus you may need me." Rory said.

"I know. You're going to graduate soon, my baby. Go to your classes tomorrow but don't worry about coming home. I can handle being by myself. If I need you that bad I can call or just go to Sookie's." Lorelai said.

"Are you sure?" Rory asked.

"I'm sure. Are you staying here tonight though?"

"Yep. I figured I can stay here tonight and make it to classes besides I think we need some mother-daughter bonding time. How about I go get some more Chinese for tonight?"

"Why don't you just call the order in and have it delivered?" Lorelai asked.

"I want to pick up some things at Doose's too. Plus I figured if I leave you alone for a little while, you can call Steven while I'm gone." Rory said.

Lorelai groaned. "Fair deal, I guess. Just hurry back with the food please."

"I'll try my best. I'm not promising anything." Rory yelled walking out the door.

* * *

Rory decided to walk into town instead of driving her car.

Rory was walking through town when she noticed that Luke's was very slow. It was one of the lulls he experienced during the day. She decided to go talk to him before going to get their Chinese food. Rory walked into the diner and the bells signaled her arrival. Luke looked up to see who arrived silently hoping it was Lorelai.

"Rory. Hey kid." He called out walking out from behind the counter to hug her.

"Hey Luke." Rory said hugging him back. Over the past year, she talked to Luke a few times without her mother knowing. She knew that Luke didn't have anyone there for him and he had practically been a dad to her growing up so she needed to be there for him. She and Luke had grown closer talking over the past year. Rory never told Luke where her mother was or what she was doing, just that she was doing okay. Rory loved Luke like a father and it hurt her to see him hurting this much but after her conversation with her mother just before she felt that they could truly work things out.

"Listen, I just came here to say one thing. I just talked to mom and I think she really wants to talk to you. I don't want you to go to her though, wait for her to come to you. She really wants to discuss everything but just let her come to you. Don't push her, not right now. Just wait for her for a little while longer. I'm sure she won't take too long." Rory said.

"I'll wait for her. I really want to talk to her too." Luke confessed.

"Don't tell her that I came by though. You can tell her that we talked over the past year but don't let her know that I was here right now. She might get really mad." Rory said quickly.

"I won't. Don't worry."

"Okay, I really need to go, see you around Luke." Rory smiled walking out the door. Her mother and Luke were going to talk soon. They were both open to talking and discussing everything, so maybe things would work out in their favor once again.

Luke smiled as Rory left the diner. Lorelai wanted to talk to him and he wanted to talk to her. Hopefully they could work past their issues. He desperately wanted to be with her again but he would settle for being friends if he had too. He just knew that he wanted Lorelai back in his life in a positive way. Now he just had to wait for Lorelai to come to him.

* * *

Back at the house Lorelai was contemplating what she was going to say to Steven. She really didn't want to call him but knew that she needed to get this over with. Without thinking for another second, she quickly dialed his number.

"Hey Lorelai." He said answering the phone.

"Hey Steven." Lorelai replied.

"So how are things?"

"Things are actually going good." Lorelai said.

"That's great. Did you talk to Luke yet?" Steven asked.

"Actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Please don't interrupt me. I lied to you the other day about speaking to Luke. I don't really know why but I did. I talked to him the night well more like yelled but we did talk. It wasn't much of anything, we didn't work anything out but when I got home, I realized that I wasn't over him. I told you that I was when we first started dating but I wasn't. At that point, I thought I was but I was only lying to myself. I've realized that the time I've been here that I really want to make it work with Luke. Even if I can't make it work out with him and we just end up being friends, it's not right to string you along. I can't do this anymore with you Steven." Lorelai admitted.

"So what you just used me as means to get over some guy?" Steven asked getting angry.

"No, it wasn't like that. You're a nice guy and I really liked you but coming back here and facing him made me realize that I'm not over him like I thought. I didn't think seeing him would have this effect on me. I just wanted to apologize to him for leaving and everything that happened but I realized that I still loved him. I never really stopped loving him."

"What if he doesn't forgive you or even want to talk to you again? Are you planning on coming back?" he asked.

"I don't know anymore."

"How could you put me through this?" Steven asked shouting into the phone. "I really liked you Lorelai and wanted things to work out for us."

"I'm sorry, I really am. I never meant to hurt you at all. That was not my intention. I'm not some huge bitch whose mission in life is to hurt people. I never wanted to hurt you, I promise. I did really like you and you are a great person. You were there for me when no one else was. I could count on you but I don't love you. I don't think I could ever love you honestly. I know that sounds horrible but we are just too much alike to ever work out in a relationship. I need someone that is at least a little different from me. Someone that challenges me and someone that fights with me on issues instead of agreeing with me on everything. I mean that was nice at first but it's just too strange now. You're not the person I need. I'm sorry." Lorelai said tearfully.

"I did love you Lorelai but if I'm not the guy for you then I'll just have to accept that. You're an amazing person and you deserve to be happy. If this Luke guy will make you happy then, I will just have to get over the fact that I can't make you happy, that I can't be the guy you need. I sincerely hope everything works out in your favor." Steven said completely changing his tone from earlier.

"Are you sure, you're not mad?" Lorelai asked.

"I mean I'm still mad but I get what you're saying Lorelai. You need to fight for the guy that you love and I have to let you go."

"Thanks for understanding. Bye Steven." Lorelai said hanging up the phone and wiping the tears that were clouding over her eyes.

* * *

A few minutes later, Rory walked into the house and noticed her mom sitting on the couch. Lorelai turned to Rory when she walked in,

"You're back with the food finally! What took you so long?" Lorelai asked.

"Nothing, it was just busy." Rory lied knowing that her detour to Luke's was the reason she was late.

"I'm just glad you're back now." Lorelai said taking the food out of the bags. "So I called Steven while you were gone."

"Really? What happened?" Rory asked.

"I explained everything; how I lied to him that I haven't spoken to Luke yet that speaking to Luke made me realize that I was not over him like I thought, how I was still in love with Luke and how I want to make it work with Luke. I told him that when we started dating I thought I was over Luke and was ready to date again but I was only lying to myself." Lorelai said.

Rory nodded along with everything her mother was saying, "So was he mad when you told him?"

"Yeah he was. He got really mad. He was yelling through the phone asking if I was just using him and how I could put him through someone like that." Lorelai replied.

"So what did you say to that?"

"I just told him the truth. I apologized. I told him that I never meant to hurt him at all. That hurting someone like him was never my intention. I did really like him when we started dating but coming back home and seeing Luke made me realize that I needed to talk with Luke and work things out. Even if Luke and I cannot be in a relationship again, I still want him to be my friend. I still want him in my life in some way. I need him in my life. After explaining everything and apologizing, Steven was actually really understanding about all of it. He told me that he only wanted me to be happy and if I was happy with Luke then that is who I should be with."

"Wow. Everything worked out with him then." Rory inquired.

"Yea it really did." Lorelai said smiling.

"So are you going to talk to Luke?" Rory asked.

"I will, sometime." Lorelai replied.

"Mom." Rory said exasperated.

"I know that I need to talk to him, I just don't know when I should to it." Lorelai said.

"The sooner, the better."

"You're right. Maybe tomorrow? I have to spend time with my daughter tonight." Lorelai glanced over at her daughter and smiled.

"Tomorrow sounds great." Rory agreed.

"I'll just have to do it when the diner is closed in case things don't work out. We don't need to put on a show for the people of Stars Hollow."

"Hey, dirty!" Rory squealed.

"I didn't even mean it like that! I have corrupted you my dear." Lorelai laughed.

Lorelai and Rory talked, laughed and ate the rest of the night until Rory announced she needed to go to bed since she had to head back to Yale in the morning. Lorelai headed to bed not long after Rory. Lorelai was lying in bed trying to sleep but her talk with Rory was still fresh in her mind. She had already told Rory that she would talk to Luke tomorrow so now she just had to convince herself to do it. Talking to Luke would change everything they would either learn to become friends again or learn that they could not be in each other's life in any way anymore. The first option sounded great but the second option scared her. Maybe Rory was right when she said Luke couldn't shut her out for too long, maybe he would be willing to listen to her. She was going to talk to him no matter what, she had promised Sookie after all. Talking with Luke would determine whether or not she would make the move back to Stars Hollow. Tomorrow was definitely the day she needed to talk to Luke, she couldn't wait much longer to get everything out in the open or else she would completely crumble.

* * *

**Another chapter done! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter and on the whole story overall. I really, really appreciate it.**

**Next chapter: Lorelai goes to talk to Luke about everything but just because they talk doesn't mean everything will be happy once again.**

**Please leave reviews telling me how you liked this chapter or if you disliked it. The reviews really do help me write the story especially because sometimes I just feel stuck and reviews can help me to become unstuck, in a way.**

**Sidenote: I also thought having a scene with April would work; it would show that Lorelai didn't blame her for everything that happened between her and Luke. Plus, I didn't hate April on the show because she really didn't do anything besides get to know her dad. **

**BFD: I felt like I needed to take them slow for this particular story and poof Steven is now gone! Thanks for the review!**

**Gilmoreintraining: Thank you! Thanks for the review, I will try to update as soon as I can.**

**Mdsoftball15: Yea, I like writing them a little out of character, it's fun. I liked having Rory react that way because I think Rory is the one person that could really get through to Lorelai more than anyone else. Thanks for the review!**

**Guest: I love the angst! I like writing it more than anything else, I believe. Time and patience is definitely what they need. Rory really need to call out Lorelai for things to work out. Thank you for the review!**


	5. Late Night Talks and Invitations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

* * *

Lorelai lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. She was sure that she had stayed this way all night. Sleep was definitely not on her side as she thought of everything that could go wrong from the talk that she promised her daughter and Sookie that she would have with Luke. Luke could say that he never wanted anything to do with her again since she decided to leave that one night. Luke could say that he didn't want to talk to her not even giving her a chance to explain everything that happened; which is why tonight when she talked to him she wouldn't leave his side until he listened. He wouldn't have to talk, she could do all the talking, she was used to doing a lot of talking by herself. She just wanted him to listen to her and understand what she went through those last few months.

Lorelai sighed and rolled out of bed, she needed one thing right now and that was coffee. When she headed downstairs she could already smell the coffee and smiled knowing that her daughter made her coffee. She was going to hug her daughter tightly when she got downstairs for thinking ahead and making coffee. However, when she got downstairs, Rory was nowhere to be found. Instead, she found a full coffee pot and a note on the table. Lorelai picked up the note and began to read.

_"Mom,_

_I know you probably stayed up half the night worrying about your upcoming conversation with Luke so I decided that you would need coffee. Also, there are leftover doughnuts from yesterday in the fridge. Don't worry too much about talking to Luke; I know that he will be willing to listen. It's Luke; he could never refuse you for too long. Just be completely honest with him and everything will be okay, I'm sure of it._

_Yes, I know that I'm your favorite daughter in the world for making you coffee. _

_Love, _

_Rory."_

Lorelai smiled and laughed at her daughter's note. _Rory was the greatest kid in the world_, she thought. Lorelai quickly poured herself a cup of coffee and retrieved the doughnuts from the fridge. As she sat at the kitchen table drinking her coffee she thought about what she was going to say to Luke. She needed to understand everything that he put her through by not allowing her to meet April. She needed to apologize for leaving that night before talking to Luke. The more she thought about what she was going to say the more she wanted to talk herself out of going. She needed to get out of the house and focus on anything else but her talk with Luke tonight. She didn't need to plan for the talk with Luke because if she did she was just going to convince herself that she would screw everything up again. She decided to head to the inn today to focus her mind on other things besides Luke.

Lorelai got up from the table and went upstairs to get ready for the day. A few minutes later she was back downstairs and headed out the door towards the inn.

* * *

Lorelai had arrived at the inn and went straight to her office. She wasn't in the mood to deal with people right now. Luke was still taking up the majority of her thoughts. As she sat in her office, she tried to focus on the paperwork in front of her but nothing was working. She had been staring at the same piece of a paper for an hour now she was making absolutely no progress. She decided to go talk to Sookie and get her mind off things.

Lorelai walked into the kitchen and greeted Sookie, "hey Sookie."

Sookie turned around from the stove, "oh hey Lorelai."

"So I've decided that I'm going to talk to Luke today." Lorelai announced.

Sookie squealed, "ooh that's great Lorelai! When are you talking to him?"

"I figured I would go tonight after the diner is closed that why we have privacy. I just need to find something to focus my time on before then." Lorelai said sighing.

"Well it's great that you're going to talk to him. Maybe you should get out of here for the day, go do something for yourself today, go shopping, that would get your mind off of him." Sookie suggested.

"Yeah, maybe. Will you make me something to eat before I go?" Lorelai asked grinning.

Sookie laughed, "of course I will. I can bring it to you in your office if you want or you can just eat it in here."

"I can eat here that way I can talk to you and I will be close to the food." Lorelai joked.

Sookie went to preparing her friend some food. The two chatted the whole time about everything that was going on around town. Sookie talked about her kids and her current pregnancy. Lorelai talked about Rory's upcoming graduation and they said they needed to plan a party for her since not everyone could attend her graduation. They both agreed to start planning her graduation party soon after Lorelai's talk with Luke.

An hour later, Lorelai was fed and out the inn's door headed to the mall.

* * *

Luke was at the diner going about his regular routine for the day; taking orders, cooking those orders and refilling the diner's patrons coffee cups. No one bothered to talk about Lorelai around him in the diner. They knew that was a conversation to be avoided even if she was back in town. Although, the townspeople tried to whisper so Luke wouldn't hear them, he still heard them occasionally. He heard whispers of the townspeople wondering why Lorelai was back in town, they could definitely come up with some crazy reasons. He heard whispers from the townspeople wishing that the couple would get back together. He secretly wished for the same thing. He missed Lorelai so much over the past year and just wanted her to be in his life in some way.

When the diner finally settled down into one of its lulls, Luke thought back to his conversation with Rory the day before. He would have to wait for Lorelai to come to him. He just hoped that she wouldn't take her sweet time like she did sometimes. Luke was glad that Rory came to see him. She had really helped him out over the past year. Luke sighed and continued to clean up around the diner, preparing for the dinner rush that would happen later that day.

* * *

A few hours after leaving the inn, Lorelai returns to Stars Hollow with several shopping bags in her jeep. She notices that the diner is still open so she decided to head home first. When she got home, she unloaded her bags. She bought several things she didn't need, there was just more stuff to fill up her house. She still had a little time to kill before heading over to Luke's.

As it got closer to time to leave Lorelai began to get nervous. She paced around her living room trying to work up the courage to walk out the door. She would get to the front door then walk away, just pacing back and forth. Each time she would get closer and closer to the door even turning the doorknob a few times before finally walking away. Finally, she made her way out the door and across the lawn headed towards town. She decided it would be best to walk to the diner.

All the way to the diner, she would turn herself around and walk a little of the way back to herself, talking to herself the entire time.

"No, Lorelai, you need to do this, you need to talk to him."

"No he isn't going to want to hear anything I have to say."

"Yes, he will. Remember what Rory said, Luke cannot shut you out for too long."

Lorelai continued the conversation with herself until she noticed that she was in front of the diner. She was currently working up the nerve to step foot in the diner. She talked to herself once again, trying to gain some confidence before talking to Luke. She watched Luke in the diner; he was finished putting the chairs on the tables and was now wiping down the counters. Lorelai watched him for a few more minutes before finally walking inside.

Luke heard the bells and knew that only one person would come by after closing. He looked up and noticed Lorelai standing nervously in the doorway. She took a step out of the doorway and shut the door. She began to pace around the diner floor before finally talking.

"We need to talk and I don't mean talk for five seconds then one of us gets mad and leaves. We are going to talk until everything is settled. I don't care if we scream at one another until we cannot scream anymore. We have to talk, Luke. We will yell, scream, throw things if absolutely necessary but we are going to talk. Neither one of us is going to run away from this right now. You don't even have to talk, just listen to me. I need to talk because I cannot go on any longer without talking to you." Lorelai rambled on.

She finally stopped her pacing and turned to face Luke, "so I'm here to talk now."

Luke just nodded then finally spoke, "I'm ready to talk too."

"Good. I guess I should start. I screwed things up even more by leaving that night. Things were screwed up way before then. I need to ask you a question first though. Why didn't you tell me about April?" Lorelai looked up at Luke.

Luke sighed, "I already told you. I wanted to get to know her first before letting her get to know you."

"I know that Luke. I totally get that. I did the same thing with Rory. I dated when Rory was younger but I never let any of the guys get to know her. Most of them ran when they found out I had a kid but some didn't. I still didn't let those guys meet her because I knew that it was never going to work out and I was not going to have random guys in her life. There's a difference there though. I was your fiancée, we were getting married. We promised that we would spend the rest of our lives together and you still couldn't tell me about her. Did you think that I wasn't going to stick around once I found out?" Lorelai asked.

"No, that's not what I thought. I don't know what I was thinking. I couldn't let her get to know you because I knew that she would love you. Everyone loves you. I could not risk losing her when I just found out about her." Luke confessed.

"Did you seriously think that? I mean, you're her dad, no one could replace you. I couldn't do that Luke. I could never replace you in her life. No matter how much she loved me, you are still her dad. You are the one that she looks up too. Every little girl looks up to their dad. Hell, even I did. Rory loved her dad even though he was never there for her. April is a smart kid and she wouldn't let anyone replace you in her life. She was the one that sought you out. At her birthday party is was evident how much she loved you. I don't know how you could ever think I could replace you." Lorelai said aggravated.

"I can't explain it and I wish I could. I wish I knew why I felt like that but I don't. I was going to tell you about April as soon as I found out but I just couldn't." Luke explained.

"Luke, we were best friends for years before we started dating. You could have told me anything and it would not change anything about us." Lorelai said.

"I was going to tell you the day I found out but when I came home, you were upstairs trying on your wedding dress. You came downstairs in it and you just looked so beautiful and I couldn't believe that we were going to get married. I couldn't believe that after all those years we were together. You were going to be my wife. I thought that if I told you that I would lose you." Luke said quietly.

"That's the thing though Luke. I think you stopped seeing me as your best friend who you could tell anything too and started seeing me as your future wife. Being in a relationship screwed up our best friend status and it really didn't have too. We should have been more comfortable with telling each other everything at that point but we weren't. That was our biggest fault. You would not have lost me Luke. I would have been the one person that would have helped you through this. You just got life-changing news and you should have shared with your fiancée." Lorelai stated with tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. She quickly swiped at them hoping Luke didn't notice. They still had a lot to discuss and she didn't need to start crying now.

"You're right. I should have told you and I'm kicking myself everyday now that I didn't tell you. I was an ass and I cannot take that back. I know that you would have stuck by my side. Everything was just happening all at once and you know I can't process things that fast." Luke said.

"I know. I think you need to learn to process things faster." Lorelai joked before getting serious again. "I don't think we can talk much more about April right now."

"Next topic? Do I get to ask the question this time?" Luke questioned.

Lorelai nodded, "just give me a minute though." Lorelai said as she leaned up against the wall, laying her head back. After a few minutes of silence, "Alright, fire away," she said.

Luke took a deep breath, "I know that you were upset about April and that's a reason you were pushing me to elope but why did you come to me that night? What made that night different from any other night?" he asked.

"We were in a bad spot for a long time Luke. Everything just came to a head at once. Earlier that night I was at my parent's with Rory having dinner like usual when Christopher showed up…" Lorelai started to say but was interrupted by Luke yelling.

"What were you doing with Chris? Is he the reason you came running to me asking me to elope? Did something happen with him?" Luke spat out.

"How could you accuse me of that? Nothing happened with him! Not everything that goes wrong in my life is about him." Lorelai yelled back. "Don't interrupt me again." She warned. Luke nodded his head.

"Now as I was saying, I was having dinner with my parents and Rory when Chris showed up, I knew nothing about this. My mom invited him over because they were actually trying to set him up with someone. For once, they were not pushing Chris and me together. The woman they were trying to set him up was a psychologist. After dinner she asked me if I needed to talk, I refused but then someone ended up in the back of her car spilling everything. I realized that I never loved anyone until you came along. You're the only person I ever really loved. Then I realized that nothing was happening with us, we were not making any progress with wedding plans at all. I felt so stupid for letting another relationship fail. I felt terrible that I was not making this work like I desperately wanted it too. I was so ready to start my life with you, get married, and have kids and everything else that could be included. I was ready but it didn't seem like you were. I realized that those last few months, I was not happy. I was tired of feeling horrible all the time. She told me that the only person making me wait was me. She told me that I had to either be okay with waiting or be okay with going after what I wanted and risk everything. She told me that I needed to ask for what I wanted and that I may not get it but if I didn't get it then maybe I didn't need it. I thought about it and then I came to you." Lorelai stopped talking and looked over at Luke.

"You were willing to throw away everything we worked for because some woman you talked to said maybe you didn't need our relationship if I didn't do exactly what you wanted?" Luke hissed.

"We weren't working in our relationship towards the end. You know that. We barely spent any time together and you didn't even stay in the house we renovated together. We were living two completely separate lives at that point and it never seemed like it was going to get better. We were drifting apart and then suddenly it was like we drifted too far and nothing could bring us back together." Lorelai screamed.

"If you would have never talked to this psychologist then what would you have done? If she hadn't pushed you would you still have given me an ultimatum?" Luke asked.

Lorelai sighed and placed her head in her hands. "I asked myself that question for months after leaving. Until I realized that she didn't really push me."

"She did push you though. She was the one in the car telling you not to wait anymore. She encouraged you the entire time." Luke said.

"No she didn't Luke!" Lorelai screamed. "She just helped me to realize a few things. I had come to the conclusion by myself that nothing was going to work out when I went to the real-estate office with my mother."

"Why did you go to a real-estate office with Emily?" Luke questioned.

"My parents, my parents who have never approved of anything at all in my life were going to buy us a house. My parents who thought I ruined my life by getting pregnant at sixteen were going to buy us a house. My parents who tried so hard to get me back together with Christopher time and time again were actually going to buy us a house. My mom tried to break us up before and was successful for a short period of time was willing to actually buy us a house. They were even happy with it being in Stars Hollow. They searched all around town for the perfect house for us and our future family. Then that night at the real-estate office I had to look at pictures of these beautiful houses and admit to myself that the wedding wasn't going to happen. I had to tell my mother who thinks I screw everything up in my life that I managed to somehow screw up another relationship." Lorelai ranted with tears now running down her cheeks.

"They were actually going to buy us a house?" Luke asked. Lorelai nodded in response. She moved to sit down at a table. They sat in silence for a while until Lorelai spoke up,

"Why didn't you come after me that night?"

"I did come after you Lorelai but you were already gone."

"No, I mean why didn't you follow me home? I was at home for a while before I left. What took you so long?" Lorelai asked her voice suddenly becoming shy.

"I was shocked at first. We had just finished yelling at each other in the middle of the street. When I finally went back to the apartment, I realized that I had spent more time there then at the house. The very same thing I did with Nicole. I thought back and realized that you really didn't seem happy those past few months. I wanted to be with you. I was going to elope if that's what you wanted because I just wanted to be with you. I started packing everything but realized that I was doing a horrible job at packing. If I was going to elope with you, I needed to pack like you would. I had to pack for every single occasion that may come our way. By the time, I was done the truck was loaded down with everything we could possibly need in any situation. There was so much stuff in the trunk, I wasn't quite sure if there was anything in the apartment. I went straight to the house after packing but you already left. I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped inside the house." Luke said. Lorelai was staring at him the entire time with even more tears running down her face.

"I had to leave Luke. I thought that you weren't coming for me and I couldn't stand to be in that house any longer. It was our house and living in it without you felt wrong."

"Why did you stay gone so long?" Luke asked suddenly.

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't plan to leave Stars Hollow for that long. I didn't even know how long I was going to be gone. I just left. As the days passed by, I just settled into a routine in Litchfield. I had a job there and an apartment, so I just grew accustomed to that. With every passing day it became increasingly harder to come back until I talked to Mia. I told her everything that happened between us and she was very understanding. She took both our sides in the situation and told me that I had to face everything. Running away made everything harder. She was right. If it wasn't for Mia, Sookie and Rory, I don't think I would have talked to you this soon." Lorelai confessed.

"I thought Mia was the one that made you come back." Luke said.

"She was but after I got here the first night and talked to you and that day in Doose's, I wasn't sure if coming back was the right idea. Rory and Sookie helped me see that I screwed up severely by running away. Sookie made me promise that I wouldn't leave Stars Hollow again without trying to talk to you. She made me pinky promise; I cannot go back on that." Lorelai said giggling.

"I'm sorry for what I said in Doose's that day. I wasn't thinking clearly. I had been drinking and was just upset about the night before. I shouldn't have said that." Luke apologized.

"We were both on edge that day. I shouldn't have said anything either. Don't even worry about it." Lorelai replied.

The pair sat there in silence looking around the room not wanting to look into one another's eyes; both now knowing what to say next.

"I feel like I should tell you something." Lorelai said suddenly.

"What?" Luke asked.

"While I was in Litchfield, I started seeing someone." Lorelai stammered out.

"How long?" Luke questioned with a pained expression on his face. He couldn't believe that she would start seeing someone else.

"What do you mean how long Luke?" Lorelai asked.

"How long after you left did you jump in the bed with someone else?" Luke yelled.

"Is that what you really think of me? That I would just jump in the bed with any random guy. I know that teenage mothers get a bad rep but I'm not one of those." Lorelai shouted back. Luke stood there silently as she yelled at him. "If that's what you think I really did then I should just leave." Lorelai turned towards the door to leave.

"No, you're not leaving this time." Luke shouted. "You're the one that said no one is walking away this time. Please stay," Luke said, his voice softening.

Lorelai turned back around and faced Luke. "I was with him three months and we never slept together. Shocking right? I only went out with him because he asked me and I was lonely. We didn't start dating until about eight or nine months after I left Stars Hollow. He was my friend from the moment I got to Litchfield because we lived in the same apartment building." Lorelai admitted quietly.

"Are you still seeing him?" Luke asked.

Lorelai shook her head, "No. After coming home, Rory helped me to realize that I screwed everything up. She yelled and screamed at me about how I run away from everything. I run away before I can make a commitment to someone and how I run to another guy when I screw it up with one. I realized that I was only with him because I was lonely. He couldn't make me happy. I felt even lonelier when I was with him. He wasn't you. He was the complete opposite of you. He was me in male form, basically and that sucked. Rory helped me realize that I should break up with him because I knew that nothing was going to work with him. He was just there when you weren't. I broke up with him. I didn't even really like him." Lorelai confessed.

"Did you start seeing anyone?" Lorelai questioned.

"No. I didn't get out much so there was no one to see." Luke said. "You know you really hurt me when you left. You could have at least said goodbye in person."

"I could not face you after everything Luke. I could not look into your eyes and tell you goodbye because it would make leaving real. I know that sounds stupid but by just leaving a note, I thought that I could just push it to the back of my mind until I was ready to deal with it. If I had to face you and tell you goodbye then that meant that everything was final in my mind."

"Giving the ring back didn't make things final?" Luke asked.

"It did and it didn't." Lorelai said. Luke look confused. Lorelai noticed this look and started to speak again, "I mean giving the ring back meant the engagement was over. I considered the engagement over when I walked away from you. I couldn't keep the ring, it wasn't right. By saying goodbye, I thought that meant you would never be in my life again. I would never see you again and I didn't want that at all. I figured that maybe one day we could be friends again or just acquaintances but in some way you would still be in my life."

"I didn't even consider that the engagement could be over at that point. I wanted to give you a little time to calm down and then maybe we could talk or elope, whatever you wanted to do at that point." Luke said.

"I did though. Luke we weren't making any wedding plans. I had to cancel everything. I still had that dress in the back of my closet mocking me every day. We didn't even try to set a date. I know that you had April to consider so please don't say that again. I just didn't feel the engagement was anything without a date at that point. We were engaged for months and had no plans. No couple does that." Lorelai said sniffling.

"I didn't know you felt like that." Luke said.

"I know you didn't. You never were good at focusing on two major things at once. April was getting all of your attention at that point. I understand that now, I really do. April was never the problem. She's a great kid and she loves you. We were the problem. We stopped communicating like we used too. We need to communicate with one another like we are doing now. We are getting everything out that we both repressed for so long."

"Communication was never my strong point. However, with you it was easy. All that changed though when April came along."

"I know that." Lorelai replied. "I'm just glad that you're communicating now."

"Me too." Luke said. He felt like Lorelai had shared so much with him tonight but he hadn't shared as much as to what he did the year she was gone. So he started telling her, "When I got to the house that night and looked for you, I somehow knew that you left. I remembered how you fled town after Max and the possibility that you had done that again scared me. The fact that I caused you to leave the town that had always been your home, the one place that you fit into so well, the place that you were successful in completely broke my heart. I didn't know at that point if I would ever see you again. Watching you walk away from me and seeing how hurt you were broke my heart. I couldn't stand the fact that I had made you that upset and I didn't even know it. I didn't know how to deal with it so I started drinking almost every night. I drank to forget. I never wanted to be one of those guys who drank all the time because he was a screw-up but I did." He confessed. Lorelai could see the tears clouding over his eyes.

"Oh Luke, I had no idea." Lorelai said. She wanted nothing more than wrap him in a hug but she knew that any physical contact at this point was not a good idea.

"I closed the diner for two weeks after everything. The longest that I have ever closed it, I only opened it back up because I needed too. I threatened anyone that came in here gossiping about you and why you left town. I couldn't bear to hear anything of it anymore. Not from them anyways. They knew nothing." Luke said.

"I'm sorry for everything, for leaving town and making you deal with the town crazies, for giving you that ultimatum in the middle of the street and for never telling you how hurt I was by everything." Lorelai apologized.

"I'm sorry for never noticing how bad things were. I should have. I always knew when you were upset before but I didn't when it truly mattered. I'm sorry for not allowing you around April, which was just completely stupid of me." Luke said apologizing.

"It was stupid but you had your reasons." Lorelai said agreeing.

Luke sighed, "I don't know if she told you but that whole year you were gone, Rory came to see me. She said she was going by the house to check up on everything like you asked her too but she would always stay and chat with me. Rory said I was always there for her growing up and that she was now returning the favor. We never really talked about much though, mainly just what was going on in her life. Rory would talk about school and all her classes. I don't know how I would have made it through the year if I didn't have Rory. She's an amazing young woman, you know. You raised her that way." Luke said.

Lorelai smiled at the mention of Rory, "She didn't tell me she came by to talk to you although I had a feeling she would. Rory can't stand to see anyone hurting ever, especially you. She always looked up to you for everything. I know she's amazing. She helped me through everything this past year too. I would have to force her to go back to school and leave me alone for a while because she was so concerned that I would need her. She's always so concerned with helping everyone." She said proudly.

Luke smiled while Lorelai was talking about Rory. She was always her happiest when it came to her daughter. "You're the reason she's the way she is."

"Thanks Luke." Lorelai said. Luke nodded his acknowledgement. "No, I mean it. Thanks for everything, for absolutely everything. You were always there for me when I needed you and I don't remember ever thanking you as much as I should have. Thank you for saying all those things about Rory and thank you for talking to me tonight. I'm so glad that we got the chance to talk."

"You're welcome Lorelai. You really don't need to thank me though. I know that you're thankful for everything; you don't really have to say it. I understand. I'm glad that talked too. I needed this." Luke said.

"Me too. I don't really know what else there is to say." Lorelai said.

"Are you coming back to Stars Hollow?" Luke asked surprising Lorelai.

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, "I want too. I really do, this is the only place I feel at home. This is Rory's home. This is where I started my own life. This is where I grew up in my own way too. I miss everything about this town. I told myself that I would make that decision after we talked, so now I guess I have something to think about."

"Stars Hollow would always love to have you back." Luke said smiling.

"I know." Lorelai said yawning. "Wow, we have been talking forever."

"Yeah, it's getting late." Luke agreed.

"I guess I should go and let you get some sleep. You do have a diner to run. I think we have talked enough for tonight. I know we probably have a lot more to talk about but I think we pretty much covered the bases for tonight. Goodnight Luke." Lorelai said turning to walk towards the door.

"We can talk again later. Goodnight Lorelai." Luke said watching her walk out the door. Luke walked out the door a few seconds after she did and called out to her,

"Hey Lorelai," he yelled waiting for her to turn around. After she turned around he spoke again, "you know you're welcome to come to the diner anytime right?"

"I know." Lorelai said with a slight smile turning away to walk back to her house.

* * *

Lorelai got back to her house and slipped into bed. She looked over at her bedside table and noticed it was past three o'clock in the morning. God, she and Luke had talked for hours. They had actually talked though. There was yelling, screaming and crying but through it all, they talked. She tried to walk away once but Luke pleaded with her to stay since she was the one that said no one could walk away.

As Lorelai lay there in bed, she thought back to when Luke asked her if she was going to come back to Stars Hollow. She was interested in coming back and now that she talked to Luke, coming back seemed like the best idea. Moving back to Stars Hollow was now an option. She and Luke were on the right track to becoming friends again. She figured she needed to become friends with him before anything else happened. If she was completely honest with herself, becoming friends again just wasn't enough but she would take whatever she could get if it meant that Luke was going to be back in her life. Stars Hollow would forever be her home and she felt that she was almost ready to come home.

Lorelai smiled thinking about how Luke invited her back to the diner. That was definitely a step in the right direction. The diner was the scene of where things happened in their relationship. The diner was where they met for the first time, where she and Luke would always talk after her disastrous Friday night dinners, where she proposed and he said yes. The diner was a connecting place between the two people and she was invited back there even after everything that had put Luke through. He wanted her to come back into the diner whenever she wanted too. She was so ready to go back to the diner but now she needed sleep. Talking with Luke was exhausting. She drifted off into sleep thinking about how she would step foot into the diner during the day for the first time in over a year.

* * *

After telling Lorelai that she was welcome back at the diner, Luke walked back to his apartment. He was glad that Lorelai had not waited long to talk to him. He confessed everything that he felt over the past year and she listened to every word. They had really talked. He said some pretty harsh things to her and screamed at her throughout the night but she stayed. She wanted to walk away but he made her stay. Lorelai was facing her problems for once instead of running away.

Luke laid down on his bed and hoped that she would come to the diner soon. He wasn't sure what came over him but after talking almost all night he thought that inviting her back to the diner was the next step in the relationship, where ever that was going. She seemed receptive of coming back to the diner. He was happy that Lorelai was slowly coming back into his life. He hoped that she would be in his life more from now on because he didn't want to live his life without her in it. He asked her about moving back to Stars Hollow and she wasn't sure of anything at the moment. He was going to push her to make a decision. He wanted her to move back but that was one decision she needed to make herself. Luke fell asleep hoping that tomorrow Lorelai would make an appearance in the diner.

* * *

**That's it for this chapter! Hopefully the talk between them went like you guys wanted it too. I understand there may be more that they need to talk about but I felt like they had settled a lot of things for that one night.**

**Please leave reviews on the chapter! I want to know your opinion on how the story is going. I live off the feedback. **

**Thanks for all the reviews on this story already. I read each and every one and appreciate them so much. **


	6. Diner Trip and Gossips

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

* * *

Lorelai slept late the next morning considering she didn't get home until late after her talk with Luke. She told herself, as she was getting out of bed, that today she would make an appearance in the diner. Sometime today, Lorelai Gilmore, would step foot into the diner. Luke invited her back after all, so it only made sense to go back.

Lorelai walked downstairs and put on a pot of coffee. She was waiting for it to brew when the phone rang,

"Lorelai Gilmore?" Rory asked.

"That's what my birth certificate says." Lorelai responds.

"Mine too!" Rory exclaimed.

"Huh, that's so weird!" They both start giggling. "So what are you calling for?"

"I've been calling you all morning but you haven't answered. I called the house phone and your cell phone."

"Oh, sorry I just woke up. I didn't hear the phone ringing."

"Why are you just waking up? Don't you have to go to the inn today?"

"I didn't go to sleep until like three in the morning. I don't really have to be at the inn today but I might stop by anyways." Lorelai explained while pouring her coffee.

"Oh yeah," Rory said realizing why her mother was up late, "how did your talk with Luke go?"

"It went. We got everything out into the open. There was yelling and crying, from me, but we actually talked about everything. We were actually able to communicate more than we have in a long time. It was great actually." Lorelai said smiling.

"That's fantastic, Mom. So what does this mean for you guys?" Rory asked.

Lorelai sighed, "I don't know Rory. He did invite me to come back to the diner though."

"Well that's a start!" Rory yelled into the phone. "So are you going back?"

"Sometime today I will work up the courage to step foot back in the diner. As soon as I do though, word is going to spread that I'm back at the diner and I don't want the gossips to get the wrong idea about things. I don't want them questioning me about Luke." Lorelai explained.

"I understand but you need to go to the diner soon. Who cares what everyone else thinks? Just say something to confuse them, that usually works." Rory pointed out.

"You're right kid." Lorelai said, "So am I going to see you anytime soon?"

"I don't think so. I don't have that much time right now. Graduation is coming up so I have plenty of exams to study for." Rory explained.

"I know. I'm fine though, don't worry about me."

"Sure. Listen, I have to go now but I will call you later and I want details about the talk last night and your trip to the diner that you will be making today. If you call me back and tell me you didn't go to the diner, I will drive down there and force you to go." Rory joked.

"I'm going. I swear! I will go after I hang up with you and get out of these pajamas. I'm going, I promise you." Lorelai said.

"Great. Talk to you later, love you."

"Love you too sweetie." Lorelai said hanging up the phone. She made a promise to Rory and herself that she was going to diner now all she had to do was put that plan in action.

Lorelai jumped up out of her seat and bounded up the stairs. If she was going to the diner, she definitely needed to take a shower first. After showering, Lorelai stood in front of her closet wrapped in her towel trying to decide what to wear. She wanted to make a good impression her first day back at the diner. She just didn't know what to wear. She finally decided on a blue dress that she had recently bought. It was casual enough for a trip to the diner but also professional enough if she needed to go by the inn. The blue in the dress complimented her eyes very well. After deciding what to wear, she went back to the bathroom to fix her hair. She stood looking at herself in the mirror for a few minutes before deciding to leave her hair down and in its naturally curly state, the way that Luke liked it best. She quickly got dressed and headed downstairs.

Lorelai grabbed her keys, headed out the door and jumped into her jeep with one destination in mind: Luke's Diner.

* * *

At the diner, Luke was busy tending to his customers. Every time someone came into the diner, he looked up hoping it was Lorelai. He thought inviting her back to the diner would be a stepping stone to them becoming close again. This opened the door for them to maybe start a relationship in the near future again. Luke was wiping down the counter when he heard the bells above the door jingle; he looked up and was met by a pair of striking blue eyes. His breath hitched when he looked up at her. This meeting was different than the other times she had come to the diner recently. She was there today because they had talked almost everything out. She was there because he invited her and she truly wanted to be there.

Miss Patty and Babette were sitting in their usual spot when Lorelai walked in. They both gasped as she breezed past them and took her usual spot at the counter. They both began whispering to one another wondering what this would mean for their favorite Stars Hollow couple, well former couple at this point. Both women did not dare take their eyes off the pair as they interacted.

"Hey Luke," Lorelai said shyly sitting down at the counter.

"Hey, so coffee for here or…" Luke trailed off allowing her to answer, leaving the invitation to stay open. She just had to say the word.

Lorelai smiled, "For here, definitely."

Luke smiled back and grabbed her usual mug that he had kept hidden away since her departure. He set the mug down in front of her and filled it with coffee.

"Anything else?" Luke asked.

"Just a cheeseburger and some fries," Lorelai replied.

"I'll be right back with your order," Luke stated walking back towards the kitchen.

Lorelai smiled as he walked away. She was sitting silently sipping on her coffee when someone came up to her,

"So anything you want to tell us dear?" Miss Patty asked as she approached Lorelai.

Lorelai smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Miss Patty scoffed, "Don't play innocent dear; you haven't been in the diner since you've been back in town. You left for an entire year and now you're back. What's going on?"

"Still no idea what you're talking about Patty." Lorelai smirked. Luke walked out of the kitchen at that moment with Lorelai's food, "Well Patty, there's my food now so can't talk…busy eating." Lorelai said picking up her cheeseburger.

"What was that about?" Luke asked.

"Just nosy gossips, nothing new in Stars Hollow," Lorelai replied. Luke nodded.

Luke and Lorelai continued to chat the entire time she ate. They avoided any heavy topics. They stumbled through conversations about the weather and TV shows that Luke knew nothing about but Lorelai could talk about forever. The conversation wasn't much but it was the start of something, hopefully. It was far from their usual banter but at least they were talking.

"Here." Luke said handing Lorelai a to-go cup full of coffee as she was standing up to leave.

"What's this for?" Lorelai asked looking at Luke confused.

"I just figured you would like some more coffee. I know how you are about coffee."

"You're offering it to me willingly?" Luke nodded. "Thanks Luke." Lorelai said smiling. She grabbed the coffee and headed out the door.

Luke smiled at her retreating figure as she walked out the door and climbed into her jeep.

Lorelai drove away from the diner smiling. It felt good to be able to go back into the diner and have a somewhat normal conversation with Luke. Their chat was far from their usual banter but it was a start at something better, she hoped. She missed her Luke. She continued driving until she pulled up in front of Sookie's house. Lorelai needed to tell her about going back to the diner before anyone else in the town could get to her.

* * *

Lorelai pulled up in front of Sookie's house and knocked on the door. She waited outside for Sookie to come to the door.

"Hey Lorelai, what are you doing here?" Sookie asked.

"I wanted to talk, only if you have time though." Lorelai said.

"Of course, I have time. The kids are napping anyways, so we just need to be quiet. Come on in." Sookie said gesturing for Lorelai to walk into the house. They walked into the living room and sat on the couch.

"Can I get you anything to eat….Oh my god, what are you holding?" Sookie asked noticing the to-go cup from Luke's in Lorelai's hand.

"Oh what this?" Lorelai asks smirking, "Why this is just a to-go cup from Luke's."

"You went to Luke's? You went to Luke's!" Sookie squealed loudly.

"Sookie, shh your kids are sleeping." Lorelai said laughing.

Sookie laughed, "but you went to Luke's and he actually gave you coffee? You didn't steal it did you?" she questioned.

"What? No! That's why I came to talk to you. I talked to Luke last night." Lorelai said.

"Wait? So you actually talked to him?" Lorelai nodded.

"How did that go?" Sookie asked.

"It went pretty well actually. A lot better than I was expecting. I didn't think he would even want to listen to anything I had to say."

"Lorelai, why would you even think that? Come on, it's Luke. He could never refuse you for too long."

Lorelai laughed, "That's what Rory said when I told her. I know that though but I was still nervous."

"So what happened?" Sookie asked.

"We talked. We really talked. Everything that I had pent up over this past year and the months before I left was let out. I was able to get things off my chest that I wanted to say for so long and it felt great. We screamed at each other but it was amazing."

"Oh, that's amazing honey."

"I know. We talked about April and how he kept that from me for months, we talked about the ultimatum I gave him and my leaving Stars Hollow, we discussed how my parents were going to buy us a house because they were actually supporting me for once in my life and why I stayed gone for so long. I even told him about Steven and how I wasn't seeing him anymore." Lorelai said.

Sookie interrupted, "So you broke things off with Steven," she asked hopefully.

Lorelai nodded. "Yea, I thought back to what you said and I shouldn't have been with him. Rory also helped me to see that. I realized that I was only with him because Luke wasn't there. I mean, he was the complete opposite of Luke, he was me. I didn't need another me in a relationship. That was just stupid. I made a terrible decision in dating him so I had to end it. He was mad but understanding in the end." She explained.

"How did Luke react when he found out that you dated someone?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai sighed, 'Oh he was mad. He asked how long after I left did I jump in the bed with another man." Sookie gasped. "Oh yea, I know. He was so angry. I just yelled at him about how if he thought I would jump in the bed with someone else that quickly after breaking up that I should just leave but he made me stay. He told me that I made the rules about not walking away again so I had to stay. I was glad that he said that though. It gave us a chance to get everything out in the open."

"Anything else you guys talked about?" Sookie asked.

"Everything. He asked why I didn't say goodbye in person and I told him that I just couldn't face him. He confessed things that I can't repeat because it's too personal for him but he told me about the past year in his life. Everything that he went through and how badly I had hurt him. I really had no idea, I knew that leaving hurt him but never that bad. We both apologized to each other a few times about everything hurtful we have said and done to each other. He told me that Rory came to see him over the past year and really helped him out. She never told me that she talked to him but I kind of felt like she would." Lorelai said.

"Yea, that's Rory. She really loves Luke too."

"I know." Lorelai nodded.

"So what does this mean now?"

"I don't know. He invited me back to the diner after we talked which is the reason I went there this morning. I felt like everyone was staring at me though. Miss Patty even came up to me and asked me what was going on. She asked if there was anything I needed to tell her. I just played innocent or dumb whatever you want to call it. Luckily, my food came so I could dismiss her telling her I had to eat." Lorelai said.

"Did you and Luke talk at all?"

"A little but it was mainly superficial topics, nothing too important, definitely not our normal bantering conversation though."

"That's a start at least. I'm sure you two will be back to bantering in no time." Sookie said.

"Yeah, so that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Are you moving back to Stars Hollow?" Sookie asked.

"That's what everyone wants to know. I really want to, I'm just scared that something bad will happen between Luke and I again and I won't be able to live at that house anymore. I mean Rory grew up here. I grew up here. I really want to move back. I think I should move back." Lorelai said.

"Well I will not push you to make any decisions but I mean I would really love it if you were home again. Luke would like it too. Everyone would love it." Sookie said smiling.

Lorelai laughed. "So much for not pushing me, you're basically listing every reason that I want to come back. Ooh wait, we should talk about Rory's graduation party. We need to hold it in the town square. Will you make the food?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I will make the food." Sookie said jumping up. She started to pace the room, "I can cook her favorite foods. Every food that she loves will be available."

"Sookie, Sookie, calm down please. Seriously, you don't have to make a giant menu, a few simple food items will be great. Rory will be happy with anything. So her graduation is in two weeks, which gives us enough time to plan out everything. We can have it the day of her graduation, that afternoon. That way I can bring her back here after her graduation and have everything ready so it will be a total surprise."

"That sounds great." Sookie said but was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening.

Jackson came rushing into the house, "Sookie, you'll never believe who was in Luke's diner just a few minutes ago." He said just hearing of Lorelai's visit to the diner.

Lorelai turned around to face Jackson, "really who was it?" she asked grinning wickedly and waving her to-go cup at him.

A shocked expression appeared on Jackson's face, "Oh umm hey Lorelai." Jackson stammered out while the two women laughed at his reaction.

"See that's why I came over to talk to you so I could tell you before anyone else managed to," Lorelai said smiling over at Jackson.

"Yeah, Jackson likes to gossip." Sookie replied smiling at her husband.

"Well now that the whole town is informed, I guess I should be going now. See you guys later." Lorelai said walking towards the front door.

"Bye Lorelai," Sookie said while Jackson was still standing there shocked and embarrassed.

Lorelai made her way out the front door, out to her jeep and headed back home. She needed to talk to Rory about what happened with Luke and her diner visit.

* * *

Back at the diner, Miss Patty and Babette were still sitting there watching Luke. They were both surprised when Lorelai walked back into the diner and even more surprised when her and Luke appeared to be friendly towards one another. Both women were still confused as to what when on between the pair before Lorelai's departure from Stars Hollow. After Lorelai left, they continued watching Luke to gauge his reaction to Lorelai's sudden appearance in the diner. He didn't seem totally surprised that she was coming back to the diner, which was odd, the both noted.

Luke's smile continued to stay on his face after Lorelai left the diner. He continued to help out the customers being less grumpy than he had been the entire year that Lorelai was gone. Luke was happy when Lorelai decided to come into the diner. When he gave her the invitation to come back, he knew that she would come back but didn't necessarily expect her to come back so soon.

Luke was glad that they were able to talk even if it was nothing more than superficial topics. He hoped that they would be back to their normal selves soon. If he hoped for anything romantic to happen between the two of them, they needed to get back to acting normal around each other first.

* * *

Lorelai had arrived home from Sookie's and continued to think about her trip to Luke's. She was broken out of her thoughts by the phone ringing.

"Hey mom!" Rory said when Lorelai answered the phone.

"Hey kid, what's up?" Lorelai asked.

"So how was your trip to the diner?" Rory asked excitedly.

Lorelai grinned hearing the excitement in her daughter's voice, "Diner? What trip to the diner? I didn't do anywhere today Rory." She teased.

Rory gasped, "What?! You promised that you were going to the diner! Why didn't you go?" she yelled into the phone.

Lorelai started laughing, "Woah, calm down Rory, I'm just kidding. I went to the diner."

"Gosh, don't do that to me, you're pure evil woman." Rory said.

"This is your mother that you're talking too, remember that."

"Well my mother is evil. So how did your trip to the diner go?"

"It was fine." Lorelai said.

"Fine, just fine? I want details." Rory demanded.

"Fine. I went in, he offered me coffee. I stayed for more coffee and lunch. We chatted the entire time I was there. Talking wasn't our usual banter or anything but it was really nice just to talk to him again. He gave me more coffee before I left. So the diner visit actually went very well." Lorelai said smiling.

"So no crazy questions from any about why you were there?" Rory asked.

"Well Miss Patty did ask if I had anything to tell them. She wanted to know what was going on since I was suddenly back in town. I played innocent about not knowing anything. It worked." Lorelai said.

"Okay, well that's good, I guess. So tell me about the talk last night."

"Well when I first got there…." Lorelai went on to tell Rory all the details about last night. She told her everything that she told Sookie. She was careful to not tell her some of the personal secrets Luke divulged because she knew Luke was a very private person. Rory listened intently to every word her mother said. Rory interjected a few words every now and then and gasped at certain parts of her mother's story.

"Oh well he did tell me one interesting thing," Lorelai said.

"What did he say?" Rory questioned.

"He told me that a certain someone that looks a lot like me and happens to have my very name came by to see him on every trip she made to Stars Hollow."

"Umm, yeah I did go and see him." Rory said.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't even want to talk about Luke for the longest time and then when you did start finally talking about him you didn't say much. I didn't want to say anything that might upset you. I just thought that if I told you I was going to see him that you might get mad at me."

Lorelai sighed, "Rory, I would not have been mad at you. I should have known that you were talking to him anyways."

"I just had too. He was always there for me growing up. He was hurting and upset but didn't let anyone see. I felt like this was the one time that I could actually be there for him."

"I know. You're a great person, Rory. I'm really glad you talked to him. He really needed you."

Rory sniffled, "Thanks Mom. He was more like a father to me growing up than Dad ever was and I just couldn't stand to see him like that."

"Aww, don't start crying, you're going to make me cry." Lorelai said beginning to cry.

Rory laughed, "Sorry. I didn't mean to cry on this phone call."

"So are you ready for graduation?" Lorelai asked trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, almost just exams to finish up, I've applied for a few internships and different jobs so hopefully I will hear back from those soon."

"I'm sure you'll land something amazing kid. You're so smart and I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks Mom. Well I have to go now but call me if anything else happens between you and Luke." Rory said laughing.

"If _anything_ happens?" Lorelai teased.

"No! No dirty details, please. Spare me."

Lorelai laughed, "Okay. Talk to you later, love you."

"Love you too Mom. Bye."

Lorelai hung up with phone with a smile on her face. Her daughter was about to graduate from Yale and was going on to do amazing things in the world. She was very proud of her. Rory had been her rock over the past year, always there whenever she needed to talk or needed someone to comfort her. Lorelai was amazed at how great Rory had been recently through everything that Lorelai went through with Luke. Rory had been there for Luke as well, which was just as great. Lorelai always thought that Rory had seen Luke as a father figure because he truly was one. Luke was always there for Lorelai and Rory since the day they first met.

Lorelai walked into the kitchen to find some leftovers to eat for dinner. She spotted the Luke's coffee cup sitting on the table where she put it after walking into the house. She felt like she needed to hang on to the cup for sentimental reasons. This cup could represent the start of something even better than before between her and Luke. Lorelai smiled at the thought of maybe one day getting back together with Luke. She wasn't quite ready to make it happen because they still needed to work through things. They couldn't just jump right back into one another's arms. Lorelai also needed to decide is she was going to move back to Stars Hollow.

Stars Hollow was her home. The one place she felt like she belonged in the world. The house she lived in felt more like home than her apartment ever did. The apartment was just her hiding place until she could face her problems. Stars Hollow was the place that she needed to be if she ever wanted things to work out with Luke. Lorelai thought about moving back to Stars Hollow the entire time that she was eating. She decided to think about it one more day before making her final decision although she already knew what her decision was going to be. She needed to be in the one place that was her one true home.

* * *

**Done with this chapter! Hope you liked it!**

**Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter or the story overall, I would really appreciate it!**

**Also I have something different planned for Rory compared to what she was doing on the show, so stay tuned to find out about Rory and Luke/Lorelai's future!**

**Reviews for last chapter:**

**Guest: thank you for loving this story!**

**Guest: When I planned it out there was more of a fight but when I actually began writing it just happened to end up there. As far at the kissing/getting back together goes, it will come in time, my friend!**

**Nancy: Thanks for the review! A future together for them will take time and I'm working on getting them back together. They just have to deal with things first. This is an L/L story. Rory was the right person to be there for both Luke and Lorelai.**

**Alaskanbackdoor: Yeah, jumping back together quickly wouldn't necessarily work out. There will be future suspense haha. Thanks for liking this story and your review!**


	7. Stars Hollow is her home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

**This is chapter was written while eating coffee ice cream so let that be my inspiration.**

**I already have the next chapter pretty much written so another update should be soon.**

* * *

Three days later, Lorelai was sitting in her kitchen the next morning eating her breakfast and drinking her coffee. She had been back to Luke's one time since her first day back and it seemed like they were slowly getting back to their normal selves, she thought that anyways. Lorelai had spent the past three days thinking about whether or not she needed to move back to Stars Hollow. She finally decided to do what Rory always did when she had a big decision to make. She needed to make a pro-con list. Lorelai was scribbling on her list when her cell phone rang. Thinking it was Rory, she didn't bother to see who was calling.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Lorelai, it's your mother."

Lorelai had grown closer with her mother ever since leaving Stars Hollow. Her parents supported her and helped her to secure an apartment in Litchfield when she needed one. "Hey Mom, what are you calling for?"

"I cannot just call to talk to my only daughter?" Emily asked.

"Of course you can, is that really why you're calling?" Lorelai asked.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about a graduation party for Rory. I was thinking that…"

Lorelai cut her off, "Actually Sookie and I, you remember Sookie, are already planning Rory a graduation party. We plan to have it right after graduation."

"Were you going to inform me of this party you're putting together for Rory?" Emily asked coldly.

Lorelai sighed, "Yes Mother. Sookie and I only just talked about it yesterday. I was calling to call you about it today actually." She lied. "You can throw Rory a party if you want too but we are already planning this one for after graduation. The party will be held in the town square in Stars Hollow." She said trying to ease her mother into the idea of Lorelai actually throwing a party for her own daughter.

"Well thank you for allowing me to throw my only grand-daughter a party." Emily said sarcastically.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I will give you the information on the party once Sookie and I work everything out. Most things are already figured out though. Sookie will be catering, of course. Right now the plan is to go to Rory's graduation and let her have a few moments with her friends after then bring her back to Stars Hollow and have the party."

"Why are you having the party in a town where you don't even live anymore?" Emily asked.

"This town is Rory's home. It is where she grew up. Where I live at the moment does not matter. This town is full of people that love Rory and only want the best for her so it made sense to have the party here."

"Well what about Luke?"

"Mom, seriously. I can deal with this. Rory loves Luke. Besides I'm actually in Stars Hollow now."

"What?" Emily screeched. "Why are you in Stars Hollow?"

"I came back to see about the Dragonfly and I sort of also came to see about Luke."

"Why would you go to see about Luke? Are you two back together? Aren't you seeing someone?" Emily asked.

"I talked to Mia at her wedding about Luke. She told me to come back and talk to him so I listened to her. No, we are not back together. We just started talking again. I broke up with Steven. He wasn't right for me." Lorelai said giving her mother the fewest details. She had grown closer to her mother but still didn't want to share too much about her current situation with Luke right now.

"Are you moving back to Stars Hollow? What about your apartment in Litchfield, the one that your father and I helped you to buy?"

"I'm not sure Mom. If I decide to move, I will let you know. My apartment is fine right now. Listen, I really need to get to the inn right now so I can go over some things with Sookie, talk to you later Mom."

"Wait, Lorelai before you hang up are you coming to Friday Night Dinner tonight? Rory already said that she was coming."

Lorelai had not been to Friday night dinner in a few weeks. She went most of the time after leaving Stars Hollow but eventually fell out of going. She was busy with work lately and could not always go to Friday Night dinners. Rory still attended the dinners though.

Lorelai thought about her answer for a minute, "Sure Mom, I can be there tonight."

"Great, it will be nice to see you again. Bye Lorelai."

"Bye Mother." Lorelai said hanging up the phone. Emily was asking questions Lorelai had already answered plenty of times and she didn't want to answer them again.

Lorelai was happy that Emily was somewhat understanding about the graduation party. Lorelai was going to throw her daughter a graduation party whether her mother liked it or not. Emily had done so much other things for her daughter and Lorelai felt like this was the one thing that was her responsibility.

Lorelai sighed and turned back to her pro-con list. Right now the answer to whether or not she was moving back to Stars Hollow was pretty obvious. They were way more pros than cons on her list. She looked down once again at her list.

_Pros: The place where I grew up, the place where Rory grew up, my home is here, Sookie, friends, The Dragonfly is here, the many festivals, Luke._

_Cons: None._

Lorelai already knew what her decision was going to be. She just had to put the plan into action. She left her pro-con list on the table and headed out the door. She needed to go back to the inn today to talk with Sookie about Rory's graduation party.

* * *

Lorelai arrived at the inn a few minutes later and walked straight to the kitchen to find Sookie.

"Sookie!" Lorelai called walking into the kitchen.

Sookie popped up from behind a counter, "Oh hey Lorelai. What's going on?"

"So my mother called about a graduation party for Rory and I told her that we were throwing her one."

Sookie grimaced, "How did she take that?"

"Pretty well for Emily anyways, I told her that she could throw Rory a party any other day that she wanted to but I was throwing Rory a party the day of her graduation. She relented somewhat." Lorelai explained.

"Well that's good, I guess."

"Yeah it is, although she did ask why I'm having the party in Stars Hollow."

"What did you tell her?" Sookie asked.

"I just told her that this is Rory's home. This is where she would want to celebrate her graduation. This town is full of people that Rory loves and people who love Rory. Stars Hollow is the only logical place to have the party. She did ask about Luke though."

"Well how did that conversation go?"

"I just told her that Mia told me to come back and talk to Luke. She asked if we were back together and I told her that we weren't. I told her that we just started talking to each other again. I also told her that I broke up with Steven. Then she asked if I was moving back to Stars Hollow. I told her that I wasn't sure but I would tell her my answer when I knew since they were the ones that helped me to secure that apartment in Litchfield."

"Okay, so you still don't know whether or not you're moving back to Stars Hollow?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai smiled, "well actually I know that answer to that question. It was decided as soon as I hung up with my mother."

Sookie grinned, "The answer is….." she said trailing off allowing Lorelai to answer.

"The answer is….drumroll please..." Sookie started a drumroll on the countertop, "I'm moving back to Stars Hollow!" Lorelai yelled.

Sookie squealed. "Oh my gosh! I'm so happy!" Sookie and Lorelai started jumping around in the kitchen.

"You can't tell anyone though. Not even Jackson. I do not want anyone to know right away, I haven't even told Rory. You're the first person I told. Plus, I cannot have this getting back to Luke before I'm ready to tell him."

Sookie nodded, "my lips are sealed." She pretended to zip her lips and throw away the key.

"Well unseal your lips for just a moment because I have a few questions about Rory's graduation party. How's the menu planning coming?"

"I have several different things planned. I was going to talk to Rory to see what she wants. When will she be back in town?" Sookie asked.

"I'm not sure. You know you can call her right? Anyways how's the cake coming along?"

"I have a few ideas planned but I want it to be a surprise for both you and her." Sookie said.

Lorelai groaned, "Oh Sookie, you know I hate surprises. Tell me please. Please, please, please." Lorelai begged.

"No way. I'm keeping this to myself right now." Sookie said.

"Ugh, no fair." Lorelai said pouting. "I think I'm going to Luke's for some coffee. Remember do not tell anyone about the move back to Stars Hollow."

"Are you sure you're just going for the coffee?" Sookie grinned.

Lorelai grinned back, "maybe, maybe not. I'm keeping this to myself." Lorelai said imitating Sookie from earlier.

Saying that, Lorelai walks out the door to the kitchen, she heads out the front door of the inn and starts to head towards Luke's.

* * *

Lorelai walks in the door at Luke's and as usual the bells signal her arrival. Luke looks over at the door and smiles at her. Lorelai smiles back and walks over to her spot at the counter.

"Coffee?" Luke asks waving the coffee pot in his hand.

"Yes, please." Lorelai replies. Luke sets down her mug and fills it with coffee. Luke walks away to tend to the other customers. Lorelai sips on her coffee while staring out the window. Luke walks back up to her a few minutes later.

"Do you want anything else?" He asks but gets no response. "Lorelai?" He tries again but still no response. He reaches over and touches her shoulder, "Lorelai?"

Lorelai jumps in her seat, clearly startled. "Is everything alright?" Luke asks.

"What? Oh yeah. Everything is fine, I'm just thinking." Lorelai says looking up at Luke.

"Thinking about what?" he asks.

"Rory's graduation. She's graduating soon and I'm just so….I don't know. This day just came too fast."

"Yeah, it doesn't seem like its even time for her to graduate." Luke replied.

"By the way, Sookie and I are throwing Rory a graduation party here in the town square after her graduation. Her graduation is Saturday, May 20."

"I'm invited?" Luke questioned.

Lorelai looked at him confused. "Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be?"

"No reason. Do you want anything else?"

"Sure, I'll take some pie and some more coffee." Lorelai said waving her coffee mug in his face and smiling. Lorelai noticed that he was once again wearing the blue baseball cap that she gave him once upon a time.

As Luke walked away, Lorelai was approached by Miss Patty and Babette, "So what is this I hear about Rory's graduation?" Miss Patty asked.

"Well her graduation is May 20." Lorelai said before Babette jumped in.

"I can't wait to see her graduate."

"Actually, she doesn't have enough tickets for everyone. It will just be me, her dad, and my parents. I know you guys wanted to see her graduate but they only give out a few tickets. That's why Sookie and I are planning on holding a graduation party for here in the town square. You're all invited."

Both of the women look disappointed, "We really wanted to see her graduate but we can help with the party!" Miss Patty said.

"We really have everything under control. We're holding the party right after her graduation. I plan to bring her back here after her graduation and we can party away!" Lorelai said grinning.

The two women walked away as Luke came back with her pie and coffee. "Here you go." He said setting her plate down in front of her.

"Thanks Luke." She said before speaking up again, "Hey, April is invited to the graduation party too, if she is here on that day.

"I'm not sure if she'll be here but thanks for inviting her." Luke said smiling. He was happy that Lorelai was trying to include April too.

Lorelai finished her pie and coffee, politely chatting with Luke the entire time. Lorelai gave him more details on Rory's party and graduation. Luke talked a little bit about April. Lorelai was happy that he was sharing information about his daughter with her. As she was finishing another cup of coffee, her cell phone started ringing. Luke gave her a look and pointed to the no cell-phones sign.

"I know, I know." Lorelai said throwing her hands up in the air as if she was guilty of something. "I was just leaving anyways. Bye Luke." Lorelai waved as she walked out the door.

"Bye Lorelai," Luke said waving back at her as she walked away.

Luke watched her walk down the street talking on her cell phone. He was happy that Lorelai included April in her plans so he felt the need to discuss April a little bit with her. Not talking about April was one of their weakest points as a couple, so he thought that by talking about her more to Lorelai, it would help fix things between them. He hoped it would anyways.

Luke thought about it and decided that he needed to get Rory a graduation present. He was going to her graduation party after all. Luke decided that he would go see his sister about some jewelry as a graduation present for Rory.

* * *

As soon as Lorelai got out of the diner, she answered her phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey mom!" Rory said.

"Hey kid, what's up?"

"Grandma told me that you're coming back to Friday night dinner tonight, what's that about?"

"I just decided to go back. I have time now. Plus I have some news that I want to share with them."

Rory gasps, "What kind of news?"

"Great news! I will tell you soon but first I have to ask you a question. What are you doing immediately following your graduation?"

"Umm, I don't know. I probably need to move things out of my apartment so I was thinking that we could do that." Rory said confused.

"Could that wait a day at least?" Lorelai asked afraid her plans for the party were going to fail.

"I guess so, why?" Rory asked.

"Well, I was thinking that I could throw you a little graduation party right here in Stars Hollow."

"A little party in Stars Hollow? Yeah right no party in Stars Hollow is ever little." Rory said laughing.

"I know, I know. The party would be held after graduation, after the ceremony we could just come back here and party. I invited your grandparents already but I will probably talk to them more about it tonight."

"Well, what about Dad?" Rory asked.

"If you want to invite him, then he can come. It doesn't matter to me. I already told Miss Patty and Babette about it so everyone should know by now. I invited Luke."

"I think this can just be a Stars Hollow thing, I don't know if I will invite Dad. What did Luke say?"

"It's weird, he seemed surprised that I invited him but I think he is coming. I also invited April if she was here on that day. He seemed happy about that" Lorelai said.

"Well that's good. Now what was the news you wanted to tell me? Please tell me that I don't have to wait until tonight when you tell grandma and grandpa."

"Wait; just give me a minute to get into the house so no one will overhear me." Lorelai said walking in the front door of her house.

"So is this about Luke?" Rory said hopefully.

"Not about Luke but it is exciting!"

"What is it? Tell me please! Please, please, please!" Rory begged.

"Well I have decided that I am….going to dye my hair blonde." Lorelai announced laughing.

"What?! Never go blonde. Be serious please! Now what is the big news?" Rory yelled into the phone.

"Okay seriously this time. I have decided that I'm moving back to Stars Hollow!" Lorelai yelled.

"What? Really?" Rory asked.

"Oh yeah. I made a pro-con list and everything. They were all pros and no cons so it was the only choice."

Rory squealed, "Mom, that's great! Have you told anyone else? Have you told Luke yet?"

"No I haven't told Luke. I told Sookie this morning though and made her promise to keep it a secret." Lorelai informed her daughter.

"Okay, so when are you moving back?"

"I don't know yet. I was going to talk to your grandma and grandpa tonight about it. They helped me to get the apartment so I need to tell them. I figured they could help me find some people to help move things out of there and into storage. I don't really have a lot of room to put everything that's in my apartment."

"Yeah, why don't you ask Luke for help?" Rory asked.

"I don't know. It would feel weird to ask him since he just started being friendly and talking again."

"I understand. So see you tonight?"

"Yep. I'm just about to get ready to leave. See you tonight kid." Lorelai said hanging up her phone and walking upstairs to change.

About an hour later, Lorelai was showered and dressed to go to her parent's house. She planned on telling them about her move back to Stars Hollow and hoped that they would support her. Even if they didn't support her she would find some way to move her things back to Stars Hollow. Most of her furniture in her apartment would need to go to storage unless she decided to get rid of her old furniture. Lorelai grabbed her keys and purse and headed out the door to her jeep. When she climbed into her jeep, she noticed the chuppah still in her yard. She smiled at the thought that Luke had made it especially for her wedding to Max that never happened. The chuppah stayed in her yard ever since then just as a decoration. She smiled once again at the chuppah before heading off to Hartford.

* * *

Lorelai pulled up in front of her parent's house and noticed that Rory was already there. She sighed, she wanted a chance to celebrate her move back to Stars Hollow with Rory alone before telling her parents but now that couldn't happen. Lorelai got out of her jeep and walked to the front door. When she got to the front door, it opened with Rory and Emily standing there smiling.

"Whoa, hello there." Lorelai said surprised at the sudden opening of the door.

"Well come on in. We have been waiting for you." Emily said ushering Lorelai inside. Lorelai walked inside and followed Emily and Rory into the living room where Richard was already sitting in his chair, waiting for the women to come back into the room.

"Hello Lorelai, it's nice to see you. We haven't seen you in a while." Richard said getting up from his chair to hug Lorelai.

"It's nice to see you too Dad." Lorelai said.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Richard asked.

"White wine please." Lorelai said turning around to see Emily and Rory smiling at her.

"Okay, what's the happy creepy grins people?" Lorelai asked.

"I might have accidently let some news slip to grandma." Rory said.

"What news did you accidently let spill, Rory?" Lorelai questioned.

"That you might be moving back to Stars Hollow." Rory said quickly.

"Wait and you're happy about this?" Lorelai asks looking over at her mother. "I thought you didn't like Stars Hollow."

"I didn't like the fact that you ran away to Stars Hollow with Rory when you were so young but Rory seemed so thrilled about you moving back. If moving back there is going to make you truly happy then I will support you in that." Emily said.

"Really?" Lorelai asked.

"Is it that hard to believe that I just want you to be happy?" Emily asked.

"Sometimes. Thanks Mom, really. I'm glad you are both being supportive over this." Lorelai said looking over at her dad.

"Tomorrow, I can call and have it arranged for you to come pick up your stuff sometime next week." Richard said.

"Do you know of any storage places? I don't have enough room to put everything that's in my apartment in the house so I will need some place to store it." Lorelai said.

"I can call around and find you one. Tomorrow, I will call and make all the arrangements. After everything is settled, I will call you and give you all the details on to when you can pick up your stuff. I will find some movers if you need me too." Richard said.

"Movers would be good. I don't think I can move everything by myself anyways." Lorelai said. "Thanks Dad."

The maid came into the room at that time and announced that dinner was ready. They all followed her into the dining room to eat.

Lorelai talked about Rory's graduation party and informed her parents of the details of the day. She told them everything that her and Sookie had planned so far. Rory talked about how this was going to be her last week at school and how much she had left to do. Rory was excited about graduating. She said she still had not heard from any of the internships or jobs that she applied for. Lorelai, Emily and Richard all told her that she was going to land something amazing. She just needed to give it time.

There were no fights at this Friday Night dinner as usual. The Gilmores were actually getting along for once. After dinner and dessert, Lorelai and Rory walked out of the Gilmore mansion together.

"So are you going back to Yale tonight?" Lorelai asked looking at her daughter.

"No, I decided that I could spend time at home with my dearest mother," Rory said smiling.

Lorelai smiled, "Yay! Well come on let's get back to Stars Hollow. I'll stop by Luke's and get some coffee for us if you go by Doose's and get some snacks for us. We can meet back at the house."

"Sounds like a plan. See you back at home!" Rory said before getting into her car and driving away.

Lorelai climbed into her jeep and drove away from her parent's house back to Stars Hollow.

* * *

Lorelai pulled up in front of the diner while Rory pulled up in front of Doose's. Lorelai walked into the diner but didn't see Luke anywhere. Luke was in the storeroom when he heard the bells announcing that someone was in the diner.

"We're closed!" Luke yelled from the storeroom.

"Has that ever stopped me before?" Lorelai asked.

Luke heard Lorelai's voice and walked out of the storeroom and back to the front of the diner. "Hey, what are you doing here?" Luke asked. He was a little confused considering she had only been stopping by during the day now.

"Just came back from Friday night dinner and needed some coffee. Actually two coffees to-go please." Lorelai replied.

"Oh, two coffees, was dinner that bad?" Luke asked while filling up two cups.

"Uh no, it went pretty well actually. Rory is back in town tonight so I just need coffee for me and her, just some mother-daughter bonding time before she heads back to Yale to finish up her last week."

"Dinner went well?" Luke asked confused.

"Shocking, right?" Lorelai laughed. "Surprised me too, Emily and Richard Gilmore are just full of surprises." Lorelai grabbed the two cups of coffee from Luke and handed him some money.

"Thanks Luke," Lorelai said standing there smiling at him. She wanted to tell him about her move back to Stars Hollow but she just couldn't form the words right now. She turned to walk away.

"You're welcome Lorelai," Luke said. When Lorelai got to the door, Luke spoke up again, "Tell Rory I said hey."

"I can do that. Bye Luke, oh and by the way, nice hat." Lorelai smirked. She walked back out the door and climbing into her jeep. She smiled once again at Luke through the window before driving back towards her house.

* * *

Rory's car was already at home when Lorelai pulled up. She walked in the front door to find Rory with all their snackage spread out across the table. Rory was already dressed out of her Friday night dinner clothes and into her pajamas.

"Hey Rory, I got the coffee." Lorelai said handing one of the cups to her daughter. "I'm just going to go change. Be right back." Lorelai said walking up the stairs to change into her pajamas.

A few minutes later, Lorelai came back from upstairs dressed in her pajamas. She sat down on the couch next to Rory and grabbed some Red Vines off the table.

"So did you tell Luke about moving back to Stars Hollow?" Rory asked as soon as Lorelai sat down.

Lorelai sighed, "Not yet, I wanted too but it just didn't seem like the right time. I don't know why."

"You need to tell him before you start moving things back because once they see a moving truck at your house, rumors will spread." Rory said.

"I know that. I will tell him soon, I promise. By the way Luke was wearing his blue baseball cap again."

Rory smiled, "That's good, right?"

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah, I guess so. I just wish I had something I could do in return."

Rory thought about it for a minute, "You could just tell him that you're moving back to Stars Hollow?"

"That could work. So what's new with you?" Lorelai asked.

"Actually there's something I need to tell you. I called to tell you today but then you told me about moving and I just didn't want to bring it up."

"Wait, is everything okay? You're still graduating right?" Lorelai said panicking.

"Yes, I'm still graduating. Calm down. Logan proposed to me." Rory said.

"What? When? What did you say?" Lorelai asked looking down at Rory's hand to see if there was a ring.

"Earlier today, actually right before I called you, I just told him that I needed time to think about it. What do you think?" Rory asked.

"Sweetie, you have to answer that by yourself. I will support you in whatever decision you choose to make. I cannot make up your mind for you though. I don't want to tell you what to do. I will be happy as long as you're happy." Lorelai said tearfully.

"Really?" Rory asked.

"Yes, really. My mother tried to always make decisions for me. I swore that I would never do that to you. I'm not doing it now. This is your decision alone."

"Okay." Rory said. "I told him that I would give him an answer by graduation."

"That's good. It gives you time to think about it, at least. You'll make the right decision, I know you will."

"How do I know if it's the right decision though?" Rory asked.

"Whatever you decide is the right decision because I know you and you only decide what's best for yourself. You always know exactly what to do." Lorelai said comforting her daughter. "Now, let's watch some TV and gorge ourselves on this food and coffee." She said smiling.

The mother and daughter pair continued to eat and watch television the rest of the night. They talked until the early hours of the morning about Rory's upcoming graduation and the different internships and jobs she applied for. Lorelai told Rory that she would need to go by the inn sometime soon to talk to Sookie about the graduation party and the food that she would want at the party. Rory agreed to go by there tomorrow. Rory convinced her mother to tell Luke about the move back to Stars Hollow as soon as possible. Lorelai promised that she would talk to Luke tomorrow about moving.

* * *

**Another chapter done! Hope you liked it. **

**Please leave a review! I love reading your opinions/ideas on where the story is going to go or what's currently happening in the story. I would really appreciate it.**

**Reviews on last chapter:**

**Nancy: I'm all about the deflection ha-ha. Well of course, she just had to sit at her favorite seat. I just had to add in the Jackson thing for some humor. We'll just pretend he was in a rush and wasn't aware of his surroundings. Rory's future will all be told soon, just working it out in my head now. Thanks for the review! Also, thanks for reading! I really appreciate it!**

**Gilmoreintraining: I'm excited too. The show did get that part with Christopher wrong. She would not do that. I'm just guessing there was a lot of alcohol involved in that decision haha. I know, it's like the writers just completely decided to change her character when April came along. Don't worry, I love the rant! Thanks for reading and leaving a review!**


	8. Confessions and Visitors

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

**Did you guys know there is a thing called coffee syrup? It's like chocolate syrup that you add to milk but instead of chocolate it is coffee. I bought some it tastes alright.**

* * *

The next afternoon, Lorelai and Rory headed to the diner for lunch.

"So you're going to tell him today?" Rory asked for the hundredth time that morning.

"Yes Rory, I already told you that. I'm telling him today." Lorelai sighed.

"Don't chicken out of telling him."

Lorelai stopped walking and turned to face her daughter, "Stop Rory, seriously. I will not chicken out. I'm going to tell him. He deserves to know before anyone else. Now let's go have some lunch." Lorelai said starting to walk towards the diner again. "I just don't know when I should tell him. Should I tell him in front of the entire diner or tell him when I can get him alone?"

"That's your decision. I don't know what to tell you about that." Rory said.

Lorelai groaned walking into the diner, "I'll figure it out. Table?" Lorelai asked pointing towards an empty table.

Rory nodded and sat down at the table. Luke saw the two walk in and grabbed two mugs and the coffee pot. Luke set the mugs down and filled them with coffee.

"Hey Luke," Rory said when Luke poured her coffee.

"Hey Rory, hey Lorelai." Luke said. "So how are things going Rory?"

"Pretty good, I graduate next weekend." Rory said smiling.

"I know, that's what your mom was been going on and on about recently."

"Hey!" Lorelai said feigning hurt, "I'm proud of her, I deserve to talk all I want about her."

"I know, I'm proud of her too." Luke smiled down at Rory.

"Thanks Luke." Luke nodded in response.

"So anything else for you two?" he asked.

"I'll take a cheeseburger and fries please and some pie for later. I will also probably need more coffee soon." Lorelai said smiling.

"You know all that stuff will kill you, right?" Luke smirked.

"The rants are coming back, ladies and gentlemen!" Lorelai exclaimed throwing her hands in the air.

"Jeez, Lorelai quiet down." Luke said. Lorelai just laughed.

Rory watched the interaction between her mother and Luke, she was happy that they were at least being friendly again. "I'll have the same thing as mom." She said giving Luke her order.

Luke scribbled down their order on his notepad and walked into the kitchen to prepare their food. After Luke walked away, Rory turned to her mother.

"So it seems like things are getting back to normal around here." Rory said smiling.

"It finally seems like it. I mean the first few times in the diner were just polite conversation but it seems like know we are getting back to our normal selves. I'm happy about that."

"I'm happy for you. I figured I would go talk to Sookie after lunch today about the graduation party." Rory said.

"Sounds good to me kid," Lorelai said as Luke brought their plates to the table. Both girls thanked Luke and began to eat their food. They chatted about details for Rory's graduation party. Lorelai told Rory that she needed to figure out exactly what type of food she wanted for the party. Sookie was demanding to know.

"Do you think Luke would be willing to make some cheeseburgers for the party? I mean I love Sookie's food but I think cheeseburgers would be great." Rory said.

"I'm sure he would, especially if it's for you. You just need to ask him and look here he comes now bearing pie. We were just talking about you." Lorelai said as Luke put the pieces of pie on the table.

"Please spare me the details." Luke said turning to walk away.

Lorelai reached out and grabbed his hand pulling him back towards the table. "Rory actually has a question she wants to ask you," Lorelai said. She looked down and noticed that she was still holding onto Luke's hand. She quickly dropped his hand and turned back towards Rory, "So go ahead and ask him, Rory." Lorelai said nervously.

Luke pulled his hand back as soon as Lorelai dropped it. He cleared his throat and looked at Rory, "What did you need to ask Rory?"

"I was wondering if you would make cheeseburgers for my graduation party. You don't have to make them if you don't want too. I would just really like it if you did." Rory said.

"Yeah Luke, make the girl some cheeseburgers. She is graduating from Yale after all. I say she deserves some burgers." Lorelai chimed in.

Luke looked down at both of them who were starting to pout. "Sure, I can make some cheeseburgers. It's next Saturday right?" Luke asked.

Rory nodded, "Yep its next Saturday."

"Okay, how many should I plan on making for?" Luke asked.

"Well the whole town is invited plus my parents. Sookie already agreed to cook food for the party but Rory just really wanted to have some cheeseburgers there also. Plus, if you make too much it's not like it will go to waste. Rory and I can eat the leftovers." Lorelai said.

"I can work with that then. I will make cheeseburgers for your party Rory."

Rory jumped out of her seat to hug Luke, "Thanks Luke!"

Luke hugged Rory back, "You're welcome Rory." Lorelai smiled up at the pair hugging. She was happy that she finally took the plunge and talked to Luke. Everything was working out like she wanted it too. Luke was back in her life.

Rory pulled away from the hug and turned to her mother, "I'm going to go by the inn now and talk to Sookie about the food."

"Good, you can be the one to tell her that Luke is also cooking. I don't want to be there for her freak out that is bound to happen," Lorelai laughed.

"Yeah sacrifice your daughter." Rory joked.

"Hey, you're the one that asked Luke about the cheeseburgers, so you get the chance to tell Sookie that's what you requested. That is not my territory anymore." Lorelai said.

Rory rolled her eyes, "yeah, sure whatever Mom." Rory turned to walk towards the door then turned around to face her mother, "tell him." She mouthed pointing to Luke who was now behind the counter.

"I will," Lorelai mouthed back before Rory walked out the door.

Lorelai walked up the counter with her coffee mug, "Hey Luke, can I get some more coffee please?" She asked waving her mug around.

"Sure," Luke said pouring her some more coffee.

Lorelai stood at the counter sipping on her coffee. She looked around and noticed that the diner was pretty empty this time of the day. Lorelai took a deep breath and turned to Luke, "Can I talk to you for a minute? I have something I need to tell you." She said gesturing towards the curtain.

"Uh yeah," Luke said walking towards the curtain. Lorelai looked around to see if anyone was watching then quickly followed Luke behind the curtain. "So what did you need to tell me?" Luke asked quietly. He feared that she was announcing that she was leaving again.

"Well I thought you deserved to be the first to know. Well actually, you're not the first because I already told Sookie. I also told Rory. Then Rory ended up telling my parents everything. So in reality you're the fifth person to know unless you count my parents as one then you're the fourth to know. Either way I thought that I needed to tell you…" Lorelai rambled on like she did when she was nervous. Lorelai start fidgeting with her hands. She had no idea why she was so nervous to tell Luke.

"What is it Lorelai?" Luke asked.

Lorelai took a deep breath, "I'm moving back to Stars Hollow." She said quickly.

"Wait, what?" Luke asked. He heard what she said but wanted her to confirm it.

"I said, I'm moving back to Stars Hollow." She said slower this time and with a smile on her face.

"Really?" Luke questioned.

Lorelai nodded and smiled, "Really."

Luke stepped towards Lorelai closing the distance between then. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Lorelai was shocked by the sudden contact but soon reciprocated. Lorelai stared into Luke's eyes as Luke stared down into hers. Lorelai's breath began to quicken, she was sure that Luke was going to kiss her. She was just waiting for him to make the first move. Luke was leaning down to kiss her when they heard a voice yell out from the diner. They quickly broke apart and moved away from one another.

"Luke?" the familiar voice yelled.

"Is that?" Lorelai asked looking shyly at Luke. Luke nodded his head, knowing what Lorelai was thinking. Lorelai noticed that he was blushing slightly.

Luke cleared his throat and walked out from behind the curtain and into the diner. Lorelai quickly followed him. When they walked into the diner, they found the person that the familiar voice belonged to: Jess.

"Hey Luke and umm Lorelai," Jess says in a shocked tone.

"I should get going. I need to go see Rory." Lorelai says quickly clearly embarrassed as to what just happened. She rushes out the door stopping long enough to grab her purse off the table. Lorelai walks out the diner door and walks briskly back towards her house.

Jess looks over at Luke and gives him a pointed glare.

* * *

Once outside the diner, Lorelai starts walking towards her house. _I need to get home and talk to Rory, _she thought. Luke and she were so close to kissing again for the first time since breaking off their engagement. If Jess had just walked in a few seconds later, she was sure that they would have kissed.

Before she knows it, she is back at her house. She walks in the front door and starts yelling for Rory.

"Rory!" Lorelai yelled looking around for her daughter. "Rory, are you home?!" Lorelai yelled once again. "Rory, seriously I need to talk to you!" Lorelai screamed.

Rory comes rushing out of her room, "What? Is everything okay?"

"I told Luke that I was moving back." Lorelai said.

Rory looked confused, "That's what you're screaming about?"

"No, Luke almost kissed me." Lorelai blurted out. "I mean at least I think he did."

Rory gasped, "What? When? What exactly happened?" she demanded.

Lorelai began to pace the floor in the living room, "After you left, I went and asked for more coffee, which of course he gave to me. Then I asked if I could speak to him because I had something I needed to tell him. We walked behind the curtain in the diner to talk. I started rambling on about how he deserved to be the first to know what I was going to tell him but then again he wasn't the first to know because I told you, Sookie and my parents first. I was going on about how he was the fourth or fifth to know depending on how you counted people."

Rory interrupted, "okay Mom, you're rambling now."

"I know, sorry. Well anyways he asked what I had to tell him and I told him that I was moving back to Stars Hollow. He asked if I really meant it and I told him that I really meant I was moving back. All of the sudden he stepped towards me and started hugging me. I hugged him back and then we were just staring into each other eyes…" Lorelai trailed off.

"Wait, so you said you almost kissed. What happened that interrupted the almost kiss? Did you walk away?" Rory asked, Lorelai shook her head no. "Did he walk away?"

"No, we were just standing there in each other's arms and then heard yelling from the dinner. I knew the voice that was yelling so we walked out into the diner and there was Jess standing there." Lorelai said finishing her story.

"Can you at least sit down now? Your pacing is making me nervous." Rory said.

"Oh yeah, sure." Lorelai said sitting down next to Rory on the couch.

"So let me get this straight, you told Luke that you were moving back to Stars Hollow and you two almost kissed but were interrupted by Jess coming into the diner?" Rory asked trying to get the facts straight.

"Exactly. I mean we were so close and then boom we're interrupted." Lorelai said.

"Why is Jess even in town?"

"I don't know. That's not even the point of the story. As soon as we walked out and noticed that it really was Jess in the diner. I said I needed to get home and talk to you. I just rushed right out of the diner without saying anything to Luke or Jess. Jess did seem really shocked though at the two of us together."

"Well yeah, he should be shocked. Last he probably heard was that you two had broken off the engagement and you had left Stars Hollow." Rory stated

"I know. He is just the last person I expected to see. Luke and I were so close. I mean, what would have happened if we had kissed?"

"I don't know. Do you want to get back together with Luke?" Rory asked.

"I do but I don't want to just jump into things, Rory. We were apart for a full year, which I know is entirely my fault because I stayed away so long, but it just seems like everything is happening so fast. We just started talking again and I mean actually talking not just being polite to one another." Lorelai ranted.

"I understand but sometimes you just can't control these things. I know that you don't want to just jump into this again because of everything that you have been through but sometimes maybe that's what needs to happen. You and Luke have been through so much together over the years. You both danced around each other for so long. I don't think you can take this relationship much slower than it already is."

Lorelai smiled over at her daughter, "I get what you're saying. When did you get so smart?" she teased.

Rory smirked, "Well I am about to be officially a college graduate so maybe that's when."

"Smart-ass." Lorelai said. "I'm in desperate need of some relaxation. I'm going to go upstairs and take a bubble bath." Lorelai got up from the couch and headed up the stairs.

Rory sat back on the couch and turned on the television, trying to digest all the information her mother just gave her.

* * *

Back at the diner, Jess looked over at Luke after Lorelai's sudden exit.

"Why are you here Jess?" Luke asked.

"What was that about?" Jess asked referring to Lorelai rushing out of the diner.

"Answer my question first." Luke demanded.

Jess sighed, "What I can't just come visit when I want too?" he asked.

"Of course you can but you haven't been here in a while. I was just wondering what you're doing here." Luke said.

"Listen, I really just came to visit. I came to visit you, Mom, and Doula. I haven't seen her since she was born. I want to see my sister."

Luke chuckled, "So you didn't come to visit TJ?"

"TJ is TJ. I don't really need to visit him. I think I will try to avoid him as much as possible." Jess laughed.

"Okay. Everything is fine with your bookstore? No financial trouble there or anything?" Luke asked.

Jess sighed, "No, nothing like that. Actually the bookstore is doing really well. A lot better than the last time we talked. My book is doing pretty well too."

Luke patted him on the back, "That's great Jess. I'm really proud of you. I mean that. How long are you staying for?"

"I took two weeks off from the bookstore. I was wondering if I could stay here with you like old times."

"Two weeks, okay. Of course you can stay here Jess. You can use April's bed." Luke said.

"So now that I have answered your questions. Are you going to answer mine? What was Lorelai doing here?" Jess asked.

"Come on; let's take your bags upstairs. We can talk up there." Luke said grabbing one of Jess' bags. "Cesar, I'm taking a break." Luke yelled walking up to his apartment.

Once they were in the apartment, Luke began pointing out where Jess could put all of his stuff. He showed him where April kept her stuff when she came over so he wouldn't bother it. Jess sat his bags down on the bed and walked back to where Luke was standing.

"So now you talk. What was Lorelai doing here? Last time I was here I heard the engagement was off and she fled Stars Hollow." Jess said. When Jess had heard off the engagement being called off, he spent a little more time with Luke than usual. He was only able to visit for a day or two at a time considering he had the bookstore but he tried to be there for his uncle. He knew how much Lorelai had meant to him. He knew that he needed to be there for Luke during this time because Luke was the one that was always there for him.

"Lorelai did leave Stars Hollow for this past year. She moved away to Litchfield. She came back about a week ago." Luke said.

"There's more to the story, what's going on?" Jess asked.

"Like I said, she came back about a week ago. The night she came back she came into the diner; we got in a fight over her leaving and the past year. The next day, the same thing happened. Lorelai came by the over day and we talked. We fought again this time but she actually stayed and talked to me. I don't know. We worked through some things that needed to be worked through. I invited her back to the diner and she's been coming back ever since then." Luke said.

"That's it?" Jess asked.

"We've been talking again since she came back to the diner. That's it." Luke stated.

"Really, so what was happening behind the curtain when I came in?" Jess smirked shooting Luke a knowing glance.

"She was just telling me that she was moving back to Stars Hollow. Nothing happened." Luke said. He didn't want to tell Jess about the almost kiss that happened. Luke didn't really feel comfortable sharing that with his nephew. They were not that close.

"Lorelai had to tell you this behind the curtain? She couldn't tell you in the diner?" Jess asked.

"I don't know. Lorelai was the one that gestured towards the curtain. I just figured she wanted privacy, that she didn't want anyone knowing about her move back, just yet. She said I needed to know before other people."

"So are you two together now?" Jess asked.

"No." Luke said.

"Well you did say that she's moving back to Stars Hollow, I just figured it had something to do with you."

"Stars Hollow is her home too, Jess. She's welcome to live here. I don't know if I was a factor in her decision to move back or not. This is where Rory grew up. This is where Lorelai belongs." Luke said defensively.

"I know. I just don't want you to get hurt again by her. When she left you were really messed up and I know I don't act like it all the time but I do care about you. I don't want to see you go through that again if you do decide to get back together with her and she leaves again."

"I was the reason she left, Jess." Luke said.

"You can't blame yourself for everything. You may have did something to hurt her feelings but she is the one that chose to left giving you no information at all on her where-abouts. She never tried to make contact with you while she was gone. She was the one to walk away, leaving you by yourself. To me, she is the bad guy in this situation. She screwed up majorly." Jess said.

"Do not talk about Lorelai like that." Luke yelled, "You don't know the entire situation."

"That's because you never told me the whole situation. You told me that she left and broke off the engagement. You told me that she left without saying goodbye just leaving you a note and the ring. Listen, if she makes you really happy then you can try and make it work. That does not mean I necessarily have to like her. Right now, she is not my favorite person because of what she put you through. She broke your heart Luke."

Luke was trying to calm himself down, "I know I never told you everything. I'm sorry, I just don't share things. She does make me happy but everything is a little complicated right now with her return."

"You don't have to tell me anything about the situation but don't blame me for not liking her. To me she is the one that messed everything up. She's the reason you were completely torn up this past year. If you do decide to be with her and you two finally get it together then I will be happy for you, just know that." Jess said.

"Thank you Jess." Luke replied. Jess nodded in response.

"Now, I need to get back to the diner, so you can get all settled in." Luke said walking out the door to his apartment.

* * *

Lorelai was now finished with her bath and downstairs watching television with Rory when the phone rang. Rory got up to answer the phone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Rory, it's your grandmother." Emily said.

"Oh hey Grandma." Rory replied.

"Is your mother around? I need to speak to her. I have information about her apartment."

"Yeah, she's right here. Hold on a second." Rory said handing the phone over to her mother. "It's Grandma, she said she has information about your apartment." Rory whispered. Lorelai nodded her head and grabbed the phone.

"Hey Mom. What do you have for me?" Lorelai asked.

"Your Father called around today and acquired some movers. They are willing to be at your apartment Monday morning if you can meet them there. Your Father also managed to grab a storage unit at Hartford Storage Company where you can store whatever you need too. There will be a moving truck to help you move things to storage or Stars Hollow, where ever you choose to move your belongings too." Emily informed her daughter.

"Thank you Mom and tell Dad I said Thank you too. What time will the movers be there Monday morning?" Lorelai asked.

"They will be there at your apartment at nine o'clock. Do not be late." Emily said.

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "I will not be late. I'm not late to everything."

"You're late to a lot of things, Lorelai."

"I will be there on time. I promise." Lorelai said.

"Your Father has also talked to the owner of the apartment building and was able to get you out of your lease early. You will need to get everything out of your apartment at least by Wednesday but you will only have access to the movers Monday."

"Okay, thanks once again. I will have everything done Monday, I assure you. I have to go now. Talk to you later, bye." Lorelai said hanging up the phone.

"What was all that about?" Rory asked as Lorelai hang up the phone.

"They have arranged for movers to meet me at the apartment Monday so I can get all of my stuff out. I also have a storage unit where I can put everything that will not fit in this house, which is almost everything. I have a few things that I want to bring back though."

"Are you going to move everything by yourself?" Rory asked.

Lorelai nodded, "Well I will have the movers but besides that I'm pretty much doing it by myself. I will be all moved back into Stars Hollow Monday. I actually probably need to go up there tomorrow to pack up everything. I need boxes or something to move things into."

"Do you need me to help? I can help you pack up things tomorrow before going back to Yale. I just have one more exam to go through and then I have to pack up my apartment."

"Are you sure you can help? I don't want to take you away from studying." Lorelai said.

"No, I have time. Plus you will need someone to help you. When are we going to move everything out of my apartment?" Rory asked.

"We can move your things the Sunday following graduation. That way we have all of Saturday for graduation festivities."

"Sounds good to me." Rory agreed. "Want to go to Luke's tomorrow before breakfast?"

Lorelai glanced around nervously, "Umm, well…." She started to say something but Rory interrupted her.

"No, we are going to Luke's tomorrow for breakfast. You are going to face him tomorrow. I don't care what happened or what didn't happen or what almost happened, you cannot avoid him like this again. Besides, if he thinks that you two almost kissed then what message does it send if you avoid him? You are going to Luke's tomorrow!" Rory ranted.

"We'll see about that. I'm going to bed." Lorelai said rushing up the stairs.

Rory stood at the bottom of the stairs, "You are going tomorrow! Even if I have to carry you!" she yelled after her mother. "You're not avoiding him this time!"

Lorelai was laying down on her bed listening to her daughter yell at her. Rory was right, she had to go back to the diner and face Luke. She could not just avoid him after their almost kiss. Luke might get the wrong idea on how she felt about what happened between them. Lorelai groaned and rolled over, trying to get to sleep. She would face Luke tomorrow and would base her actions on the way that he acted.

* * *

**Next chapter is going to move things on a little. By that I mean, jumping around from day to day. Lorelai gets all moved into Stars Hollow and the week leading up to Rory's graduation. I plan for much more to happen in the next chapter, so stay tuned! There will more Luke/Lorelai scenes soon.**

**Jess may seem a little out of character for some of you but he isn't always the bad guy and I tried to show that somewhat.**

**Please leave a review, they are greatly appreciated!**

**Reviews on last chapter:**

**kcole6206: Thank you! I tried my best to make this story true to the characters. You will just have to keep on reading to find out Rory's answer! I appreciate you taking the time to review this!**

**Nancy: You're welcome. I wanted the Emily and Lorelai relationship to be a little better than it was on the show for this story. Just keep reading to find out about Logan. Thanks for your review! I really appreciate it!**


	9. It feels like home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

* * *

The next day, Lorelai and Rory found themselves in the diner earlier than usual. They both had their heads laid down on the table when Luke walked up with their coffee.

"What's with the two of you?" Luke asked.

"Hmm tired, too early, need coffee. I didn't have any at home." Lorelai said sitting up and reaching for her mug. She looked up at Luke and smiled slightly before turning back towards Rory, "Hey Rory, coffee." She said nudging her daughter to get her head off the table.

"Why are you here so early if you're that tired?"

"Rory and I are going to pack up my apartment in Litchfield today and we needed to get an early start." Lorelai said.

Luke nodded in response, "So what do you want to eat?"

"Pancakes and lots of bacon, the same thing for Rory, more coffee as well please."

Luke wrote down their order and went to the kitchen to prepare their food. He came out of the kitchen a few minutes later to find them both fully sitting up drinking their coffee. He gave them their plates then walked back to the counter to take care of the other diner patrons. Lorelai and Rory quickly ate their breakfast and got up to leave. Rory headed out to the car while Lorelai walked over to the counter.

"Hey Luke, do you have any extra boxes I can use? I really need some for packing." Lorelai said.

"I think there's some in the storeroom, I'll go check." Luke said walking back towards the storeroom. Lorelai looked around the diner to see if anyone was watching then followed him. Lorelai stood in the doorway of the storeroom watching Luke collect boxes. Luke noticed her standing there.

"What are you doing back here? I said I would check." Luke said.

"I came to help find boxes." Lorelai replied.

"You could get hurt back here though Lorelai. Are these boxes going to be enough?" Luke asked pointing towards a pile of boxes.

"They should be. Could you help carry them out to the jeep?" Lorelai asked.

Luke nodded picking up several boxes, "Are you going to need help moving your things back?" he asked suddenly.

Lorelai hesitated for a moment, "Well my father hired some movers to help me tomorrow so I should be okay. I just didn't know if asking you was right after everything."

Luke sighed, "Well if you change your mind and you do need help you know I'm always here."

Lorelai smiled warmly back at him, "I know Luke."

Luke walked out to Lorelai's jeep and placed the boxes in the back. Lorelai thanked him and climbed into her car. She waved and smiled back at Luke before driving away.

* * *

Hours later, Lorelai and Rory made their way back home after packing everything. Rory decided to stay the night again and head back to Yale in the morning. Immediately after getting home both of them pass out in their beds tired from packing up Lorelai's belongings all day.

The next morning, Lorelai wakes up early to meet the movers. She is already sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee when Rory emerges from her room.

"Good morning kid. Coffee is already made." Lorelai said.

"Good morning." Rory said sleepily walking over to get a mug of coffee.

"You're headed back to Yale this morning?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, I have one more exam tomorrow." Rory replied.

"So are you planning to come home at all this week?"

"Probably since I only have one more exam. I do have to pack up things in the apartment but I think I can make time to come see my favorite mommy." Rory said giggling.

"You better make time to see me. I did give birth to you after all." Lorelai said. She looked around and noticed the time, "Oh crap, I need to get going now or I'm going to be late!" exclaimed Lorelai jumping up from the table. She quickly grabbed her keys and headed out the door.

"I should get going too then." Rory said following her mother outside.

Lorelai climbed into her jeep and stuck the key into the ignition. She tried to crank it up but nothing. She tried to start the car a few more times but nothing happened. Once it sputtered to life for a few seconds then died.

"No, no, no don't do this to me today." Lorelai said banging her hands on the steering wheel.

Rory noticed her mother acting this way so she walked over to the jeep, "What's wrong mom?"

"Something's wrong with the Jeep. It will not start. This cannot happen today, I have to move things today."

"Why don't you take my car?" Rory asked.

"Rory, I cannot do that. You need your car to get back to school and you will need it while you are there. I'm not taking your car." Lorelai argued.

"Yeah, never mind." Rory said. Suddenly, she came up with an idea, "Hey, why don't you call Luke?"

"I don't know. Don't you think it might be a little strange for him to actually go to the place that I ran away to?" Lorelai asked.

"Maybe but what other choice do you really have?" Rory said.

"I suppose I can see if he's available. I'll call him. See you later kid." Lorelai said as Rory climbed in her car. She waited until Rory had driven away to pull out her cellphone. She quickly dialed a familiar number.

Luke was pouring coffee for another customer when he heard the phone in the diner ring. He walked over to the phone and answered it.

"Luke's." he barked into the phone.

"Hey Luke, it's me." Lorelai said.

"Lorelai?" he asked.

"Of course who else answers the phone that way? Anyways are you really busy right now?"

"I run a diner, I'm always busy. Why is something wrong?"

Lorelai sighed, "My jeep will not start. I've tried everything and it will just not go. I have to be at the apartment soon to meet the movers but I have no way of getting there. Rory headed back to school and I know it may seem weird to ask you but I really need some help right now Luke. Today is the only day for the movers and I need to get there as soon as possible. I don't want them to be there without me." she said panicking.

"Lorelai, calm down, I told you yesterday that I would help you if you needed it. You want me to meet you at the house?"

"Thank you Luke. Yes, meet me at the house ooohh and bring coffee and donuts!" Lorelai yelled into the phone.

"Be right there." Luke said hanging up the phone.

Luke grabbed a to-go cup and filled it with coffee. He also grabbed a bag and put a few donuts in there for Lorelai. Jess was coming down the stairs at that time to help out in the diner.

"Jess, I have to go somewhere so you and Cesar need to run the diner for a little while. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone." Luke said.

"Where are you going?" Jess asked.

"Lorelai called, her car isn't working and she needs a ride somewhere. I'll be back soon." Luke said grabbing the to-go cup and to-go bag full of doughnuts.

"Sure, run right when Lorelai calls, it's the same old routine." Jess smirked.

"Shut up Jess. She just needs help." Luke said walking out the door and climbing into this truck. He pulled away from the diner and started driving towards Lorelai's house. A few minutes later, he pulled up in her driveway. Lorelai immediately jumped into his truck before Luke could step out. Luke handed her the doughnuts and coffee when she climbed into the truck.

"Ooh thanks Luke!" Lorelai said grabbing the food from him.

"No problem. Your apartment is in Litchfield right?" Luke asked pulling the truck out of the driveway.

Lorelai nodded, "Yep. Thanks for coming today Luke. I really appreciate it." She said smiling over at him.

"I told you it's no problem. I'm here to help you Lorelai always." He said smiling back at her.

* * *

After getting directions from Lorelai, they arrived at her apartment not too much later. Lorelai dug around in her purse for the keys to her apartment. Luke looked up at the apartment building and noted that it was very un-Lorelai like. The apartment building looked very fancy definitely something her parents picked out, he thought. They decided to walk up to her apartment before the movers got there to sort out things. They walked up to the second floor and stopped in front of a door.

"So this is your apartment?" Luke asked as Lorelai opened the door.

"This is it." Lorelai said walking through the front door and gesturing for Luke to follow her. Luke followed Lorelai inside and looked around at the place that Lorelai left Stars Hollow for. Lorelai started moving some boxes around.

"So these boxes here I want to take back home with me. I figured we could put them in your truck. Most everything else is going to storage for now until I find a place for it."

"Okay, I guess I can go ahead and carry these down to the truck then." Luke said. Luke moved to pick up the boxes when they heard a knock at the door.

"That must be the movers," Lorelai said walking to the door to answer it. She walked back in the apartment a few seconds later with a group of men. She was instructing them on what to take downstairs and what to leave for her and Luke to carry themselves. The movers began grabbing furniture and taking it out to their truck.

"I'm going down to the truck with these boxes, I'll be right back." Luke said before walking out the door. Lorelai was instructing some more of the movers on where to go when she heard someone behind her calling her name.

"Hello Lorelai." A voice behind her called out. Lorelai recognized the voice and turned around.

"Hey Steven," she said hesitantly. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well I do live in this building. I have a right to be here."

"I didn't mean that. I meant why are you in my apartment?"

"I saw moving trucks outside and then noticed movers leaving from your apartment. Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving?" Steven asked.

"We broke up. We weren't talking, I didn't see the need to tell you." Lorelai said.

"You still could have told me."

"I know. Steven, I really need to get to moving everything so…" she trailed off hoping he would catch her meaning.

"Oh yeah, well I should get going I guess." Steven said. "Would it be too much to ask for a hug goodbye?" he asked.

"A hug would be okay," Lorelai said as Steven stepped forward and hugged her.

Luke walked in the apartment to find Lorelai hugging some man. He cleared his throat to get their attention. Lorelai looked over at Luke and backed away quickly from Steven.

"Oh hey Luke," she said shakily.

"This is Luke?" Steven asked pointing to the man in question.

Lorelai nodded, "Yes, this is Luke. Luke this is Steven." She said introducing the two men. The two men just looked at one another. Luke shifted nervously in place.

"So I should really get going then. Nice to see you again Lorelai," Steven said walking to the door of the apartment.

Lorelai followed him to the door, "Bye Steven." She said turning back around to face Luke. "Sorry about that," she said walking towards Luke.

Luke just nodded and walked around the apartment to collect more boxes. Lorelai followed him but was stopped by the movers needing instructions again on which things they needed to take down. Lorelai gave them instructions then turned to find Luke, who was already walking out the door with more boxes in his hands. Two hours later, the movers had everything that needed to be taken to storage in their truck. Luke had put all of the boxes Lorelai had in his truck. Lorelai took one last walk around the apartment, she walked out to find Luke waiting for her.

"You ready to go?" he said gruffly.

Lorelai was confused by his tone, "Yeah, everything's ready. The movers are going to follow us to the storage place in Hartford."

"Okay." Luke said walking down the stairs to the parking lot. Lorelai followed him. They both climbed into the truck without saying a word to each other except for Lorelai giving Luke instructions to the storage place. When they got to the storage center, Luke stayed in the truck while Lorelai supervised the movers into putting everything into her storage lot. Lorelai smiled, thanked and tipped the movers before getting back into the truck with Luke.

* * *

Luke quickly took off towards Stars Hollow. They rode all the way back to Stars Hollow in silence. When they arrived at Lorelai's house, Luke got out to help her carry the boxes in. After carrying all the boxes into the house, Luke was turning to leaving when Lorelai stopped him.

Lorelai grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving, "Thank you Luke. I mean it."

Luke pulled his arm away from Lorelai's grasp, "no problem." He was walking towards the door when Lorelai jumped in front of him to prevent him from walking out the door.

"Move Lorelai," Luke said.

"No, not until you tell me what your problem is." Lorelai said determined.

"I don't have a problem. I need to get back to the diner." Luke said.

"Then what's with the attitude? You were unusually quiet the entire ride. What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." Luke said trying to walk around Lorelai to get out the door.

"No, you're not. Now tell me what's wrong."

Luke scoffed, "Maybe it's the fact that I go to help you move things and come back to find you all over the guy you started seeing after you left Stars Hollow."

Lorelai just started laughing loudly. Luke glared at her, "this is funny to you?" he asked.

Lorelai nodded, "just….a….little," she said in between laughs. Luke tried to walk away again but Lorelai reached out and grabbed his arm.

Lorelai quieted down her laughter, "No, Luke, I'm sorry. Please stay." She said. "Come on, let's talk." Lorelai pulled him towards the living room. She sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to her motioning for him to sit down. Luke sat down next to her.

"Look, that hug meant nothing. He was just dropping by to see why there were movers in my apartment. If anything it was a goodbye, it was nice knowing you but we will never see each other again kind of hug. That's it Luke, believe me. That's a chapter of my life that I'm over and done with. Just believe me." Lorelai pleaded looking into his eyes.

Luke looked up into Lorelai's eyes and saw nothing but absolute sincerity there. "I believe you."

"Yeah? So you're not mad at me anymore?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shook his head, "No, I'm not mad at you."

Lorelai grinned back at him, "Good. We just got back into a good place Luke and I don't want something as simple as that to ruin it. I don't want anything to ruin it."

"I know, I'm sorry, I was just being stupid." Luke said. Lorelai leaned back into him. Luke shifted uncomfortably at first but relaxed as Lorelai leaned in closer to him.

"Yeah, you were stupid. You can be kind of cute when you're jealous though."

"I'm not cute," Luke said gruffly causing Lorelai to laugh again. Luke smiled down at her.

"Logan proposed to Rory." Lorelai said looking over at Luke.

"What? What did she say?" Luke asked.

"She is thinking about it right now. She is supposed to give him an answer before graduation."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I told Rory that I was keeping my feelings out of it. This is her decision alone. I know that Rory will make the right choice." Lorelai said.

"I get that but how do you really feel about it?"

"Honestly, I don't know. If she wants to marry him then I'll support her but if she doesn't want to marry him then I'll support her there too. She has such a promising future ahead of her and I just feel like sometimes maybe Logan is not the guy for her." Lorelai confessed.

"Rory will make the best decision for herself." Luke replied.

"Yeah, she's a smart kid." Lorelai said. She was now holding Luke's hand in hers, their fingers interlocked. "Hey why is Jess back in town?"

"He managed to get time off from the bookstore so he came by to visit. He wanted to visit with Doula and his mom and TJ since he hasn't seen them in a while. You still haven't seen Doula yet have you?"

Lorelai shook her head, "No I haven't."

"She's adorable." Luke said smiling. Lorelai smiled over the way Luke was talking about his niece. They sat in silence for a little while longer, just enjoying each other's company. It had been a while since they were this close and they both wanted it to last. Unfortunately Luke had to get back to the diner.

"I should get back to the diner. I left Jess and Cesar alone most of the day, they probably need a break." Luke finally said.

Lorelai sat up sighing, "I guess you should. Come on, I'll walk you to the door." She said standing up and pulling Luke towards the door holding his hand. Luke opened the door and started to walk out when Lorelai stopped him.

Lorelai took a deep breath and gathered all the courage she had, "Hey if Jess had not of interrupted yesterday were you going to kiss me?" Lorelai asked.

Luke stood in place shocked by the question at first, "Yes" he finally said.

Lorelai smiled at his answer, "Then what's stopping you now?" she challenged him.

Luke stepped closer with no hesitation and wrapped his arms around Lorelai bringing her as close as possible to him. He leaned down and pressed an urgent kiss to her lips and immediately seeks out her tongue. Lorelai wrapped her arms around Luke's back, pressing herself deeper into the kiss. This kiss was urgent and full of pent-up passion they both held over the past year. Luke broke the kiss and looked down into Lorelai's eyes.

"Do you really have to get back to the diner?" Lorelai asked.

Luke nodded, "I have left them alone all day. I need to get back before the dinner rush and I have to close tonight."

Lorelai pouted, "Okay, I'll see you later Luke."

"Bye Lorelai." Luke said waving and walking back to his truck.

Lorelai stood in the doorway watching Luke drive away. When he was out of sight, she stepped back into the house and shut the door. She walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. She was smiling to herself. She and Luke had kissed. This kiss was more passionate than any of the ones they shared after he found out about April. This kiss was longing for something more, something they both had been missing over the past year. She wished that Luke didn't have to leave so soon. Lorelai thought about calling Rory to tell her what happened. She decided to call Rory later because right now she wanted to keep this between herself and Luke just a little bit longer.

* * *

Friday afternoon Lorelai found herself in the diner for lunch. Lorelai and Luke hadn't spent any time together since the night they kissed. She had split all her time between unpacking, the Dragonfly, planning Rory's graduation party and spending time with Rory who decided to spend a few days at home before graduation. The diner visits were casual, full of the usual flirting banter they had perfected over the years. Lorelai was sitting at the counter eating her lunch when Luke walked up to her.

"Rory's not joining you for lunch?" Luke asked.

"Not today, she's still asleep."

"Rory's still asleep at this time?" Luke asked confused.

"Her sleep schedule is still screwed up from exams. I had to threaten her last night so she would sleep and keep the house quiet."

"What was she doing?"

"She was trying to rearrange the furniture!" Lorelai yelled. Luke started laughing which caused Lorelai to slap his arm "It's not funny! I need my sleep."

"So how's your jeep?" Luke asked.

"Gypsy said it should be done today. I'm going by to pick it up later." Lorelai replied.

Lorelai and Luke both looked up when the diner door burst open. Rory was standing in the doorway still dressed in her pajamas. She spotted her mother sitting at the counter and rushed over to her.

"Mom! Mom!" Rory yelled as she was rushing across the diner.

"Rory, is something wrong? Are you okay?" Lorelai said her voice rising with panic.

"Here, read this!" Rory said shoving a letter in her mother's face.

Lorelai looked up at her daughter, "What is this Rory?"

Rory groaned in frustration, "Just read it!"

"Okay, okay." Lorelai said. She looked down and began to read the letter. A smile spread across her face as she read through the letter. After she finished reading through it once, she read through it once more.

Lorelai looked up at Rory with a wide grin on her face. They started squealing and jumping around. "Rory, this is amazing! This is exactly what you wanted!" She wrapped her daughter in a hug while they jumped around which caused them to crash onto the ground. All the diner patrons looked over at the pair who were still squealing and laughing as they lay on the ground. Luke and Jess both walked over to help the two women up.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked Lorelai.

"I'm okay, that was a totally graceful move I just pulled."

"I'm okay too, thanks Jess." Rory said to Jess who pulled her up off the ground.

"No problem Rory. It's nice to see you again." Jess replied.

"So what was all of that about?" Luke asked.

Lorelai beamed over at Rory who just stood there with a huge grin on her face, "Well our little Rory here just received this letter," she said waving the letter in Luke's face, "that states that she has received an internship with The New York Times!" Lorelai yelled loud enough for everyone in the diner to hear.

Luke walked over to Rory and hugged her, "Rory, that's great." Rory hugged him back, "Thanks Luke."

"Yeah, Rory, that's really great, congratulations." Jess said.

"Thanks Jess," Rory said smiling at him.

"Oohhh, we should go tell Sookie!" Lorelai yelled. She grabbed Rory's hand and rushed out of the diner in direction of the inn.

"No yelling or running in the diner, Lorelai!" Luke said but it was useless considering Lorelai and Rory were already outside the diner rushing towards the inn.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory rushed into the inn. They slowed down once they were in the inn. They collapsed onto a chair.

"Why did we decide to run all the way here?" Lorelai asked. "We don't run."

"We were just excited, running just seemed like a good option at that point." Rory said.

Lorelai looked down at Rory's clothes and noticed that her daughter was still in her pajamas. "Yeah I guess you were excited. You ran through the town in your pajamas," Lorelai said laughing.

Rory looked down at her clothes in horror and shock, "Oh no. Everyone saw me in my pajamas." Lorelai laughed even harder at her daughter's expression.

"I'm sure no one cared, Rory. We made fools of ourselves by falling in the middle of the diner anyways. Embarrassing ourselves is a great past time." Lorelai said standing up from her chair, "Come on now we really need to tell Sookie."

Lorelai and Rory rushed into the kitchen. Sookie turned around to face them when she heard someone burst into the kitchen.

"Hey Lorelai Rory, what's going on?" Sookie asked noting their facial expressions. "Are those your pajamas Rory?" she asked.

"Yes, tell Sookie why you are standing in the kitchen in your pajamas." Lorelai said smirking over at Rory.

Rory rolled her eyes at her mother, "Well…I just received a letter saying that I now have an internship with The New York Times!"

Sookie squealed and started jumping up and down with Rory. Lorelai started in with them until she noticed that Sookie had a knife.

"Whoa, no jumping with a knife Sookie, she just got this internship. We do not need to kill her before she has an opportunity to fulfill this internship." Lorelai said taking the knife out of Sookie's hand before any injuries could occur.

"Oh yeah, sorry but this is just so exciting!" Sookie screamed.

"I know! I'm so proud of her!" Lorelai said smiling over at Rory.

Rory just blushed at her mother's statement. "Ohh, I probably should call Grandma and Grandpa."

"Although you could tell them tonight when we go to dinner," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, I think I will just do that. I need to get back home because the letter said to call to accept the internship and so they can give me some more information."

"Okay, I'll see you back at home then. I'm going to stay around here for a while." Lorelai said as her daughter walked out of the kitchen.

After Rory left, Sookie and Lorelai sat down to discuss the final plans for Rory's graduation party the following day.

* * *

Later that night, Lorelai and Rory were already in Hartford for Friday Night Dinner. Emily, Lorelai, and Rory were all sitting in the living room waiting to be joined by Richard.

"So what was the exciting news that you had Rory?" Emily asked.

"I really wanted to wait until Grandpa could join us before telling the news." Rory replied.

"Lorelai, is there anything new going on with you?" Emily asked looking over at Lorelai.

"No, nothing's new really. I'm all moved back in to Stars Hollow now. I have unpacked everything but nothing's new besides that." Lorelai said, she still had not told Rory about the kiss between her and Luke the other night so she didn't want to mention anything tonight.

"How do you like being back in Stars Hollow? What about Luke?"

"Stars Hollow is fine, mom. I'm happy to be back. Luke and I are talking again. I go into the diner, he serves me coffee and brings me food. He helped me move the other day when my jeep wouldn't start." Lorelai explained.

"Are you and Luke back together?" Emily asked.

"Mom, right now Luke and I are friends. We're not together." Lorelai said thinking it wasn't a complete lie but it wasn't exactly the truth. They were not together but they had kissed the other night.

Just then, Richard walked into the room. "Sorry, I'm late. Hello Rory, hello Lorelai." He greeted.

"Great, you're here now, I can tell you my big news." Rory said excitedly.

"Oh yes, Rory dear what did you need to tell us?" Emily asked.

"Well today I received a letter in the mail saying that I have received an internship at The New York Times! I have already called and accepted the internship, so soon I will be at The New York Times." Rory said smiling over at her grandparents.

They both beamed proudly at her, "That's great news! When do you start?" Emily asked.

"Not for a few more weeks. They said I had plenty of time to figure out the living arrangements in New York."

"We can definitely help you find an apartment in New York, if that's what you want, Rory." Richard said.

"That would be really great, Grandpa." Rory agreed.

A few minutes later the family went into the dining room to eat dinner. Rory talked about how excited she was for graduation and the internship. She expressed her concerns about moving to New York for this internship which her mother and grandparents assured her that everything would be fine. After dinner, dessert and drinks, Lorelai and Rory left the Gilmore mansion. Lorelai climbed into her jeep, which was now working again thanks to Gypsy and headed off towards Stars Hollow, while Rory headed off back towards her apartment where she was going to stay the night.

* * *

Lorelai drives back to Stars Hollow and pulls up in front of Luke's. She watches Luke through the diner window putting chairs on top of the tables before walking into the diner.

"Hey Luke," she greets smiling.

"Hey. Coffee?" he asks holding up a coffee pot. Lorelai nods. Luke places a mug in front of her and pours the coffee. Lorelai sat there quietly drinking her coffee.

"Was Friday Night Dinner that bad? You're being awfully quiet." Luke said.

"No, it was fine actually. They were thrilled over Rory's news so that was the main discussion of the night. I was just thinking about Rory and how proud I am of her." Lorelai answered.

"I'm proud of her too, you know. She's going to do great things." Luke said placing his hand over Lorelai's hand.

"I know." Lorelai replied. Luke leaned down and placed a quick kiss on Lorelai's lips which slightly surprised Lorelai. Luke broke away from the kiss as Jess walked into the diner.

"Hi Jess," Lorelai waved.

Jess nodded his heads towards her greeting her.

"Are you just coming back from your mom's house?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, I was visiting with Doula. I'm just going to go upstairs now so you two can continue whatever this is." Jess said in his usual sarcastic tone.

Lorelai rolled her eyes at his tone, "Hey Jess, are you coming to Rory's graduation party tomorrow?" she asked.

"What party?" Jess asked.

"You didn't tell him?" Lorelai said looking over at Luke. "Well Sookie and I are throwing Rory a graduation party tomorrow. It will be held in the town square tomorrow. You're more than welcome to come."

"Okay." Jess said walking upstairs.

Lorelai turned back towards Luke, "So is April coming tomorrow?"

"Uh yeah, I talked to her the other day and told her all about it. I left the decision up to her and she said that she really wanted to come. Anna is going to drop her off in the morning and pick her up later that night."

"That's good. I'm glad she's coming; I guess I should get going. I do have an early morning tomorrow and all, so bye Luke." Lorelai said getting off her stool and waving back at Luke.

"See you tomorrow Lorelai." Luke said smiling back at her as she exited the diner.

Luke started cleaning the diner again after Lorelai left. He thought back to their kiss a few days earlier. He had wanted to kiss her so badly the day that Jess interrupted. The night he finally kissed her, he didn't want to stop but he needed to get back to the diner. He wanted to stay with her that night and promise that nothing would tear them apart again. Now he just needed some way to prove to Lorelai that he was going to always be there for her from now on. Lorelai was trying to bring April into her life by inviting her to the graduation party. Luke was happy that Lorelai was trying to include April and he felt he needed to do something more for her.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!**

**Also if you read my other story, "Something to Believe In," you know that I said I was taking a break from it for a little while. Well today I got inspired again and began to write the next chapter for that story so expect another chapter soon. It will be a chapter to help get things moving again.**

**Reviews for last chapter:**

**Nancy: You're welcome! Luke is always there to set Jess straight. I needed to bring Jess into the story in some ways anyway. Luke and Lorelai are going to continue to get close. Thanks for taking the time to review and all your kind words! I really love it.**

**Ladypuercoloco: Thank you! Thanks for leaving a review, I really appreciate it!**


	10. Graduation Day Surprises

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls. **

**Chapter 10, a monumental chapter! There's some definite emotions played up in this chapter, so prepare. I'm super excited about this chapter.**

* * *

Lorelai spotted her daughter across the crowded courtyard of graduates and their parents; she made her way over to her daughter to spend a few minutes with her before graduation.

"Hey Rory, are you ready to become a Yale graduate?" Lorelai asked as she wrapped her daughter in a tight embrace.

"Yeah," Rory replied nervously. "I just can't believe this day is already here. It feels like I just started school here."

"I know sweetie but now you're off to bigger and better things. Have you made up your mind about Logan yet?"

"Yes, I have. I'm going to speak to him after graduation; I told him I would give him my answer then."

"Can you tell your dear mother the answer?" Lorelai asked nudging Rory with her elbow attempting to get an answer out of her.

"I have to tell Logan first but I will tell you right after. Listen, I probably need to go ahead and line up. Grandma and Grandpa are already in their seats, if you want to go sit with them."

Lorelai groaned, "I guess I'll go find them. Hey, don't trip!" Lorelai yelled as Rory walked away causing Rory to turn around and smile at her mother.

* * *

Lorelai started walking towards where all the chairs were set up in search of Richard and Emily. She stopped when she heard someone calling her name, a voice that she knew very well.

"Hey Lor," Chris greeted walking up to Lorelai and kissing her on the cheek. She tried to turn away from the kiss. Lorelai had kept Chris out of her life for the most part of the past year. Right after Lorelai left Stars Hollow she talked to Chris but once he learned of her broken engagement, he tried to capitalize on the fact that she was lonely. Chris told her that he wanted to marry her that he wanted to finally be a family with her and Rory just like he had done a few times before but like every other time, Lorelai turned him down. She explained that he was no longer an option. After that, Lorelai broke off communication with Chris until today, the day of Rory's graduation.

"Hey Chris. How are you? How's Gigi?" she asked politely.

"I'm doing good, Gigi's good. How are you? It's been a while," Chris replied.

"I'm fine, I moved back to Stars Hollow." Chris looked at her with a shocked expression.

"I thought you were out of that town for good."

"I never said for good. I never set a time limit."

"So what does that mean? Are you back with that diner guy, what's his name? Duke?" Chris asked angrily.

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "You know his name is Luke and whether or not I'm back together with him is none of your business Chris."

Chris stepped closer to her, "You're going to give him a second chance but you wouldn't give me one?"

"That's none of your damn business Chris. I gave you plenty of chances over the years and you screwed every single one of them up." She said angrily but trying to keep her voice quiet.

"I wasn't going to screw up this time."

"I don't care. I had just gotten out of an engagement; I wasn't ready for anything especially with you. I'm done with that part of my life. I've moved on from the idea that you, Rory and I will ever be a family. I used to think like that but that was years ago. All you and I will ever be is friends Chris. You're Rory's dad so you're always going to play a part in my life as well as hers but you and I will never be together." Lorelai said. "Now the ceremony is about to start, let's find our seats and watch our daughter graduate."

* * *

Lorelai stalked off to her seat leaving Chris standing there. She quickly found her parents and sat down in the available chair next to them. Christopher joined them a few minutes later. He sat down next to Lorelai refusing to look her in the eyes.

"Has Rory answered Logan yet?" Emily leaned over and asked Lorelai. Rory had told her grandparents of Logan's proposal a few days after she told her mother. They were absolutely thrilled at the possibility.

"Not yet, she's talking to him after the ceremony." Lorelai informed her mother, watching the graduates walk across the stage.

"Did she tell you what she was going to say?"

"No, she didn't. I asked but Logan should be the first one to know her decision."

"I thought you two were close. I thought you told each other everything. She must have told you her answer."

Lorelai turned to face her mother, "No, she didn't, I wouldn't lie about that."

Chris leaned over into the conversation, "What happened between Logan and Rory?" he asked completely oblivious to the proposal that happened few days earlier.

"Logan proposed to Rory." Lorelai answered him.

"What?" Chris screeched causing a few stares from the group of parents around him.

Lorelai turned towards him, "Chris, be quiet," she warned him.

"Why didn't I know about this?" Chris asked.

"If Rory wanted you to know, she would have told you. It's none of my business." Lorelai replied.

Emily scoffed, "of course, it's your business, she is your daughter."

"Rory is old enough to make her own decisions Mother." Lorelai said pointedly.

"Would you three be quiet, Rory's name will be called soon." Richard said gruffly.

"Paris Eustace Geller." The man at the podium bellowed out. Paris walked across the stage and received her diploma.

"Yay, Paris!" Lorelai exclaimed, clapping loudly for her daughter's best friend.

Lorelai starts to get her camera ready to take a picture of her daughter when she would grace the stage. Richard quickly took the camera from her.

"Enjoy this moment Lorelai. I will take the pictures. Your daughter is graduating from Yale; this is an extraordinary moment for the both of you." Richard said.

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore"

Lorelai jumps out of her seat clapping and yelling for Rory. Chris follows Lorelai's lead. As Rory grabs her diploma, Lorelai's eyes start to tear. She starts clapping louder for her daughter, so proud of her in this moment. She is overcome with emotion as her daughter stops and looks out towards the audience. Lorelai decides to be funny and sticks her tongue out at her daughter causing Rory to laugh on stage. Lorelai laughs and wipes her eyes as she sits back down in her chair.

"Was that necessary Lorelai?" Emily asked.

"Of course mother," Lorelai replied with a smirk on her face.

* * *

After taking pictures with her family and a few friends, Rory excused herself so she could find Logan. She finds Logan leaning up against a tree.

"Hey Rory, congratulations," Logan said greeting Rory with a hug.

"Thank you Logan."

"You looked great up on stage. You never tripped."

Rory laughed, "No, I didn't. I tried hard not too anyways. I never told you but I got an internship at The New York Times the other day."

Logan smiled, "Really Rory? That's great!"

"Yeah, everyone is really excited about it."

Logan looked away from Rory for a few minutes. Rory stood there fidgeting trying to work up the courage to tell him her answer to his proposal.

"What does this mean for us Rory? Have you come up with an answer yet?" Logan asked now looking her directly in the eyes.

Rory hesitated a moment before speaking, "I can't marry you Logan. I love you, I really do but marriage is not right for me right now. I still have my whole life ahead of me. This internship will hopefully provide me with even more wonderful opportunities. The future is wide open for me but I fear that if I marry you, I will have to pass up many opportunities. We're so young Logan and I'm not the type of girl that wants to be married right out of college."

Logan sighed. "What's happen now then? Rory, I have to go to San Francisco. That's where my life is leading me. Your life is going to be in New York now. We would hardly ever see each other."

"We tried long distance before and it worked. What makes you think we can't try it again?" Rory asked blinking back tears that threatened her eyes.

"That would just be going completely backwards Rory. I cannot do long distance again. If you cannot accept my proposal then that means…." He trailed off.

"What does it mean, Logan?"

"You're smart, you know what I mean."

"All or nothing?" Rory asked.

"All or nothing." Logan confirmed.

"So you don't want to even try?" Rory asked staring into Logan's eyes. Logan sighs then breaks away from her gaze. Rory knows exactly what he is thinking.

"Well I guess this is goodbye Logan." Rory said handing Logan back his engagement ring. Logan hesitates for a few moments before taking it. As soon as the ring is out of her hand, Rory walks away now in search of her mother.

* * *

Rory walked away leaving Logan standing by the tree. Lorelai spots her and walks up behind her.

"Hey, how did it go?" Lorelai asked.

"Can we talk about it later?" Rory asked to which Lorelai nodded.

"Do you want to ride home with me? We can talk on the way back to Stars Hollow." Lorelai suggested.

"What about my car?" Rory asked.

"We can leave it here or ask one of your grandparents to drive it back. They are following us to Stars Hollow anyways. We are coming back tomorrow to pack up everything."

"I know but I was thinking I may come back to the apartment tonight and make sure everything is packed so we don't have to do too much work tomorrow."

"Okay, well I will go ask your grandpa if he will drive it back for you. Give me your keys." Lorelai said. Rory handed over her keys and Lorelai left to find Richard. A few minutes later she returned empty handed.

"Your grandfather agreed to drive the car back. So come on my little Yale graduate, let's get into the car." Lorelai said wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders. Rory leaned her head on her mother's shoulder as they walked toward Lorelai's jeep.

* * *

After saying goodbye to a few more friends as they made their way to the jeep, Lorelai and Rory were now on their way to Stars Hollow.

Lorelai glanced over at Rory, "So how did everything go with Logan?"

"I said no." Rory said quietly.

"How did he take that?"

"I told him he could try long-distance because it worked for us before but he did not want to do that. He said that would be going backwards in our relationship. He only wants to move forward, which of course everyone wants but I told him that I just couldn't marry him."

"Things are officially over between you guys now?"

Rory sighed, "Yeah, I already miss him though."

"I know you do honey but you'll be fine. I promise. The next few days might be hard but everything will get better. You have so much to look forward too."

"Exactly! That's what I told him. I told him that the future was still undetermined for me. I told him about the internship which he thought was great until he realized it meant that I was going to actually have to be in New York while he was in San Francisco. I told him that if I was to marry him right now that I may not get to take the opportunities that I want to take. He told me it was all or nothing. I chose nothing." Rory said finishing her little rant.

Lorelai glanced over quickly at Rory again, "Then you made the right decision. You chose what was best for you at the time. You put so much thought into this decision and you came out making the very best decision for you. I'm really proud of you Rory."

"Yeah, you always see in the movies how when a guy proposes to a girl she only thinks for a millisecond before giving her answer. I think the very fact that I had to think about this for so long is why I said no. Aren't you just supposed to know the person you want to get married too? Aren't you supposed to answer right away instead of actually taking time to answer?" Rory asked.

Lorelai smiled and thought back to the night she proposed to Luke. He didn't think about it. He gave his answer straight away. He knew that things were right for them and didn't need time to mull over the answer, "Yeah, you're right Rory. You shouldn't have to think about your answer to a proposal that long. If you know you know." Lorelai said as tears threatened her eyes once again.

Rory looked over at her mom, "Oh mom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up things with Luke like that. I'm sorry."

Lorelai quickly wiped her eyes with one hand, "No, Rory, it's fine. Actually I think things between Luke and I are moving forward in a positive way."

"What do you mean?" Rory asked looking confused.

"I don't want to tell you right now when you're all sad over Logan. It would seem like I'm rubbing things in your face." Lorelai replied.

"I'm fine. Tell me what happened, if it's happy then I definitely want to hear it." Rory demanded.

"Something happened between Luke and I when he helped me to move the other day."

"What happened? Is it something dirty?" Rory asked looking a little horrified.

Lorelai laughed, "Nothing dirty, not really. He kissed me."

Rory squealed in her seat, "He kissed you? How did all of this happen?"

"Well after we arrived back in Stars Hollow, he was helping me to unload all of the boxes. He had this weird attitude going on so I confronted him about it. He denied that he had an attitude at all. I confronted him about it again until he finally gave in. He was upset that he walked into my apartment and Steven was there. I hugged Steven right before Luke walked in." Lorelai heard a small gasp from Rory.

"So Luke saw you two hugging?" Rory asked. Lorelai nodded then began to speak again.

"The hug meant nothing. I laughed when Luke said that's what he was mad about because I didn't think anything about it. He was so angry that I was laughing at him. I begged him to stay and to talk to me. I explained to him how the hug meant nothing. That I was never going to see Steven again. After all of that, we just started talking. We talked about your graduation, how Logan proposed to you, Jess and he talked a little about Doula. When he got up to go back to the diner, I walked him to the front door. I asked him if he would have kissed me the day before if Jess wasn't there. He said that he would have so I challenged him to kiss me in that moment. He took the challenge and kissed me."

Rory smiled brightly, "Aww Mom that's great. So what does this mean now?"

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, "I'm not sure. We haven't talked about anything. He kissed me again in the diner after Friday Night dinner before Jess walked in again. We just need to talk about things and make sure we're both on the same page."

Rory nodded, "Just don't wait too long to talk."

"I will not." Lorelai promised as they passed the Stars Hollow sign. "So I was thinking that we could go home first to change then head over to the party. I definitely feel like dressing in something a little more comfortable." Lorelai said as she turned in the direction of her house.

* * *

A few minutes later they pulled up in front of their house. Lorelai and Rory both rushed inside to change. Lorelai threw on the pair of jeans that she knew Luke loved best on her. She paired it with a silky blue blouse that seemed to make her eyes appear even bluer than normal. She also opted to go with a pair of boots because they seemed comfortable enough to withstand a few hours at a graduation party. Lorelai walked downstairs to find Rory waiting on her.

"Are we walking or taking your jeep?" Rory asked.

"I think the jeep because you will get some presents at this party sweetie and I'm not carrying them back." Lorelai replied.

"Jeep it is then." Lorelai grabbed the keys and linked arms with Rory. They walked out the door headed towards the jeep.

Lorelai pulled up in front of the town square a few minutes later. She looked around and noticed that almost everyone was there already. Rory beamed over at her mother.

"Thanks for setting this up."

"It wasn't all me, Sookie and all the townspeople helped. I just put the idea into their heads. Now let's go party." Lorelai said as she climbed out of the car.

As soon as Rory was out of the car, townspeople flocked around her. They were all shouting their congratulations and well wishes. Rory thanked them as she pushed her way to the crowd to where her mother was now standing.

"You left me alone with all those crazy people," Rory whispered gesturing to the crowd that was coming towards her once again.

Lorelai laughed, "They just love you, Rory." She spotted Luke standing next to the grill watching her. Jess was helping him with the food. She gave a small wave. "Now, I'm leaving you alone again. Have fun!" she sang as she made her way towards Luke.

Lorelai walked up to Luke, "Hey Luke. Hey Jess," Jess gave a small wave.

Luke smiled at her, "Hey Lorelai, how was the graduation?" he asked.

"Graduation went great. Rory received her diploma and she didn't trip as she walked across the stage which is amazing considering how much of a klutz she is. There were tears, laughing; Christopher was an ass like usual and my parents were just themselves. Everything was great though." Lorelai said. She cringed that she mentioned Chris because she knew that Luke was not a fan of Christopher at all.

Luke tensed when he heard Chris' name which did not go unnoticed by Lorelai. "Are you okay though? Do you want to talk about it?" Luke asked looking concerned.

She smiled over at him, "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it right now. I'm just going to enjoy Rory's party. Thanks for doing this again Luke."

"No problem Lorelai." Luke said watching Lorelai. Lorelai noticed Rory walking up to them.

"There's the graduate now! Come here!" Lorelai said wrapping her daughter in a hug again.

"We were just together mom, what's with the hug?" Rory asked.

"I'm just so proud of you sweetie."

"Hey Luke," Rory greeted when she noticed Luke was watching them.

Luke walked out from behind the grill and hugged Rory, "Congratulations Rory, I'm proud of you too."

"Thanks Luke. I wish that you could have been there today. You've always been there for me."

"Aww, Rory you're going to make Luke cry," Lorelai teased.

Luke shot her a look, "Shut up Lorelai," he growled playfully. Lorelai laughed at his Luke's growl.

"It's okay Luke, I won't tell anyone if you cry." Rory teased following her mother's lead.

"You two are insane." Luke noticed that Anna had now driven up to the diner to deliver April. "Jess, watch the grill, I'll be right back." Luke said walking towards the diner to greet Anna and April.

"I'm going to go find your grandparents," Lorelai told Rory. She walked away in search of Richard and Emily leaving Jess and Rory alone.

"Hey Jess,"

Jess smiled over at her, "Hey Rory, Congratulations again. I know you worked really hard."

"Thanks Jess, so why are you back in town?" Rory asked.

"Just visiting, I had a few days off from the bookstore."

"Oh yeah, how's that going by the way?"

"Great, actually, a lot better than I expected."

"Well congratulation is in order for you too. Thanks for coming by today, Jess." Rory said smiling slightly over at Jess.

"No problem, Rory."

Jess and Rory stood there chatting to one another for a little while before Rory was dragged away by different townspeople.

* * *

Lorelai was now standing with Richard and Emily. They were chatting about the graduation ceremony and the graduation party Lorelai and everyone else managed to throw together.

"Everything looks really great Lorelai," Emily complimented.

Lorelai smiled at the compliment, "Thanks Mom but it really wasn't all me. I came up with the idea but everyone else did most of the work. They set everything up."

"Well they did it all for you."

"They did it for Rory. She has managed to charm everyone in this town."

"They did it for you too Lorelai. This town loves you as well as Rory," Richard chimed in.

"Speaking of Rory, what did she say to Logan? Are they getting married?" Emily asked anxiously.

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "That's something you should talk to Rory about. You should hear the answer from her."

"She said no, didn't she?" Richard asked.

Lorelai looked over at her dad, "How did you know?" There was a curious look on her face.

"I never thought she would accept, I'm sure she has a good reason. Rory's a smart girl. If she said no then she thought about it a lot."

"Well, I'm curious as to why she said no. Logan's a great guy. He could have given her everything she ever wanted. I'm going to ask her." Emily said trying to walk away.

Lorelai grabbed her mother's arm before she was able to get far, "Not today Mom. Ask her another day. Let her enjoy her party. Besides when was Rory wanted things just handed to her? She's worked for everything she has ever wanted. She doesn't want things just handed to her; she knows that she needs to work hard for everything in her life. Logan wasn't too supportive of that. Just promise you will not bring it up today."

"I suppose she should enjoy today but I will talk to her. I'll wait though." Emily said walking back to stand next to Richard.

"Thanks Mom."

"You and Luke looked real friendly earlier. Is there something going on Lorelai?" Emily asked smiling.

"You know what? I'm really hungry so I'm going to get some food," Lorelai said avoiding her mother's question and heading towards the tables filled with food.

"Lorelai come back here."

"Food now, talk later." Lorelai yelled back as she approached the table.

* * *

Luke had already said goodbye to Anna, who promised to pick April up in a few hours. He and April started to make their way across the town square when April spotted Lorelai over by the food. She ran over to Lorelai calling her name. Lorelai turned around when she heard her name and saw April approaching with Luke close behind.

"Hey April," Lorelai greeted, "how are you?"

"I'm good. Thanks for inviting me today."

Lorelai smiled down at the young girl, "You're very welcome. I'm glad you came. Rory's around her somewhere if you want to talk to her."

"Yea, I'm going to find Rory. I want to ask her about the graduation. Is that okay Dad?" April asked looking up at Luke.

"Sure, go find Rory." Luke said as April took off running across the town square.

"Hey, thanks for allowing April to come today. I know I probably said it before but it means a lot that you wanted her here." Luke said as April left.

"She's a part of you Luke. If it means a lot to you then it means a lot to me." Lorelai smiled over at Luke. "She's really a great kid."

They turned around as they heard a commotion behind them. A crowd was gathering around the gazebo where Rory was standing nervously.

"Come on, let's go see what this crazy town is doing now," Lorelai absentmindly grabbed Luke's hand and led him towards the gazebo.

Lorelai walked over to where Sookie was standing with Jackson.

"Hey Sookie, what's going on?" Lorelai asked.

"They want Rory to give a speech," Sookie informed her friend. She looked down and noticed that Lorelai was still holding on to Luke's hand. She silently nudged her friend and gestured down towards their clasped hands. Lorelai smiled in response to Sookie's gesture which caused Sookie to squeal just a tiny bit.

* * *

Taylor walked up beside Rory in the gazebo, "Today, we are here to celebrate Rory. She is one of Stars Hollow's favorite daughters. Rory graduated from Yale earlier this afternoon and as a town we could not be more proud of her. I've known Rory just as long as most of you have and she is an exceptional young lady…" Taylor continued on talking about Rory.

Lorelai interrupted him however, "Taylor, let Rory speak. It's her day, get away from the gazebo."

Taylor turned visibly red as Lorelai interrupted him. The townspeople agreed to Lorelai's request to let Rory give her speech.

"Umm, thank you everyone for being here today. I appreciate it. This is just amazing. Thank you all for helping my mom throw this together for me. I have a small announcement. As some of you already know, actually all of you may know since everyone gossips in this town," all the townspeople laughed and agreed with her, "but the other day I received an internship at the New York Times. I will be leaving at the end of the summer." The townspeople cheered and yelled out their congratulations.

Rory continued on with her speech. "There are a few people here that I would like to thank personally. First, I would like to thank my grandparents who have been my support system especially these last few years. They were always there for me and never hesitated to give me everything I needed. Next there's Luke Danes who really helped me to grow up in this town. Since the first day we met, he was always there for my mother and I, doing whatever he could for us. I don't think my mom and I would have survived in this town if it wasn't for Luke. Lastly, I want to thank the strongest person I have ever known or will ever know, my mother. You are everything that I ever hope to be in life. You are the very reason that I have done so well in my life. I'm going to miss you so much when I leave." Rory paused for a moment. "Okay now enough with the gushing, let's continue this celebration!" Rory said as the crowd applauded.

As Rory finished giving her speech, Lorelai looked over at Luke who had a few tears in his eyes, "Aww, Lucas you big softy." Lorelai teased as she nudged him in the side. "Look at you, crying over Rory's speech."

Luke looked down at Lorelai, "Hey, you're crying too and don't call me Lucas."

"Sure thing…Lucas." Lorelai had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Luke rolled his eyes at Lorelai's antics, "Rory was right. You're the very reason she is where she is today. You should be proud of her and yourself."

"I'm so unbelievably proud of her."

* * *

Hours later, the party was finally winding down. Rory had received graduation presents from all the townspeople and loaded them into her mother's jeep. Luke had given her the earrings that his sister Liz had made.

"I'm going to go on and head home. Are you coming?" Rory asked Lorelai.

"Um, no I think I'm going to stay and help clean up. I need to feel responsible for something. Here take the keys to the jeep. I'll be home soon I promise."

"Alright, see you at home." Rory grabbed the keys that Lorelai held out and walked over to the jeep. As he was climbing into the car, Jess approached her.

"Hey Jess, what are you doing?"

"Well, umm everyone else had a present for you and I realized that I needed to give you something as well." Jess said nervously.

"You didn't need to buy me anything. I'm fine Jess."

"Well good thing I didn't buy this then." Jess said pulling a book out from behind his back. "This is a book; I've been working on recently. It's in the process of being published but I thought you should be the first one to actually own a copy."

"A second book? Jess that's great!" Rory said reaching for the book. "You are really going to make a difference in the literary world."

"It's nothing really." Jess said humbly.

"Nothing? This is the second book you're getting published, that's something." Rory said encouraging Jess.

"Well, I know you're probably tired so I'll let you get on home. Bye Rory." Jess walked away from the jeep as Rory watched him.

* * *

Lorelai was helping Luke clean up the mess from the party. They cleaned up most everything already; they were just a few more decorations that needed to be taken down.

"I can handle the rest of this Lorelai, go on home and be with Rory if you want too." Luke said as Lorelai was taking some decorations off the gazebo.

"No Luke, I'm fine. You guys put all this together for me this morning so I should be the one to take it all down. Rory's probably already asleep anyways."

"Are you sure? Because I'll be fine doing the rest of this," Luke gestured to what remained around the town square.

"I'm sure."

An hour later, the town square was officially clear of all the decorations and food that were present just a little while ago. Lorelai was sitting down in the gazebo; Luke noticed that she looked really tired. He walked up to her and held out his hand, "Let's get you home."

Lorelai grabbed his hand as he led her back to the house. Lorelai leaned on Luke's shoulder as they walked back. They were no townspeople around to see the couple walking down the street. They arrived at Lorelai's house quickly. Luke stood in front of Lorelai on the front porch. Lorelai turned away from Luke and opened the door.

"Come inside for a little while." Lorelai said stepping out of the way so Luke could walk in.

"Are you sure?" Luke asked.

"Please stay with me Luke." Lorelai pleaded. Luke followed Lorelai inside. He sat down on the couch as Lorelai was taking off her shoes, "These shoes were not the best idea tonight. My feet are killing me."

"I can massage them if you want me too," Luke suggested. Lorelai lay down on the couch placing her feet in Luke's lap. "I definitely want you too."

Luke started massaging her feet as she left out soft sighs and moans of contentment. "That feels good Luke," she complimented. Lorelai's head was resting against the arm of the couch; she had her arm thrown across her face while Luke rubbed her feet. A few minutes later, Lorelai's feet were feeling better so she sat up and pulled her feet away from Luke. Lorelai leaned back against Luke in the familiar embrace that they shared many times before.

"Thank you again for today Luke." Lorelai said breaking the silence in the room.

Luke pulled Lorelai in closer, "You're welcome, Lorelai."

"You know like Rory said earlier, I really wish you could have been there today too. You really deserved to be there to watch her walk across that stage today."

Luke smiled down at Lorelai, "I'm just glad I could be there for her party. I don't need to see her walk across a stage just to feel proud of her."

"You don't need too but you deserved too. You deserved to be there more than anyone else. You helped shape her into the person she is today."

"That was all you Lorelai."

"You too Luke, don't deny it." Lorelai looked up at Luke and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Do you and Rory have any plans for the summer?" Luke asked.

"Just to spend as much time together as possible before she leaves for New York, plus we have to get her ready to leave for New York. Why do you ask?" Lorelai inquired.

"Just wondering," Luke started formulating a plan in his head to be able to spend time with Lorelai and Rory this summer; something to prove that he wanted Lorelai to be in his life. He wanted to show her how appreciative he was that Lorelai was letting April be a part of her life.

"Rory and I have to move everything out of her apartment tomorrow. Then she will officially be living in this house all the time at least until the end of summer."

"Are you going to need any help moving her things?"

"We may need some help, if you're offering."

"In that case, I'm offering." Luke said with a smile.

"Rory said no to Logan today."

"Really?" asked Luke.

"Yeah, she told him about the internship but he wasn't really supportive of it. He wants her to go to California with him. She said she needed to go to New York. Logan told her it was all or nothing. She chose nothing. I think she made the right decision though."

"I think she did too. From what I knew about Logan, I never thought Logan was right for her."

"Really? Why?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know. I just never thought he was right. When you know, you know." Luke said looking down at Lorelai. They both shared a look for a few minutes before Lorelai placed her head back on his shoulder.

He looked down and noticed Lorelai's eyes drooping. "Hey, let's get you up to bed." Luke stood up and pulled Lorelai up with him.

"Well, I usually let someone take me to dinner first before I let them take me to bed," Lorelai said grinning.

"Jeez Lorelai," Luke said blushing.

When they made it upstairs, Luke turned around to leave. Lorelai grabbed his arm. "Hey, stay with me tonight."

"I don't know Lorelai," Luke said hesitantly.

"There's no reason for you not too. April is back at her mom's and Jess is grown enough to stay by his self. I just want you to be with me tonight. Nothing has to happen. Please stay."

Luke looked up into her pleading eyes and knew that he couldn't resist her when she was acting like this. Luke walked into the bedroom that he hadn't stepped foot in since Lorelai left. He took a deep breath before walking over to the bed. Lorelai grabbed a t-shirt and some pajama shorts before going into the bathroom to change.

"You have some sweatpants in the drawer, if you want those." Lorelai yelled out from the bathroom. She had brought her Luke box in earlier that morning and found a pair of sweatpants that Luke had once left at her house. When they lived together, everything of his was at the house but in the months after finding out about April; slowly Luke's stuff started disappearing. Everything was almost gone except for a few clothes. Lorelai decided after their kiss that she wanted his stuff back in her house.

Luke walked over to the dresser and searched in the drawers that were once his for his sweatpants. He found them and quickly stripped out his jeans and replaced them with sweatpants. He shed his flannel and was left standing there in his sweatpants and white t-shirt. He still had the necklace on that held Lorelai's engagement ring. He tucked it into his shirt as Lorelai was coming out of the bathroom. She walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers and motioned for him to join her.

Luke climbed into bed beside Lorelai and pulled the covers up around him. As he lay down, Lorelai turned to face him. He leaned forwards and kissed the top of her head. Lorelai smiled at him as he pulled away.

"I'm happy you decided to stay." Lorelai whispered.

"Me too."

The pair lay there just smiling and staring at one another for several minutes. They were happy just to be spending time with one another. Luke couldn't believe that he was sharing their bed once again with Lorelai. He didn't know if it would last beyond this one night because he still wasn't sure what Lorelai wanted but was happy that she was just back in his life. Lorelai's thoughts were the exact same as Luke's. Lorelai broke her gaze away from Luke's eyes and noticed a small chain around his neck.

"Hey, what's this?" Lorelai said reaching out for the chain. Luke couldn't stop her before she grabbed it. Lorelai pulled the chain from out of his shirt and noticed the ring on the end of it. She pulled the ring closer to her face and noticed that it was her engagement ring. Lorelai's eyes began to fill with tears.

"Is that…" She trailed off wanting confirmation from Luke that it was definitely her ring. She knew it was but wanted to hear him say it.

Luke blushed slightly, "Yeah it is," he confirmed.

Lorelai put her hands on his face, "Oh Luke," she whispered pulling Luke closer to her for a kiss. She kissed him slowly at first, the passion in her kiss building. Lorelai pulled away from the kiss. "Have you worn this since that night?" she asked quietly.

"Every damn day," Luke whispered huskily pulling her into another searing kiss.

"Make love to me Luke," Lorelai whispered in his ear when they finally broke away from one another.

"Are you sure," Luke asked looking down into her eyes, "If I start, I don't know if I'll be able to stop."

"I'm sure," Lorelai nodded.

"Rory's right downstairs though."

"We'll just have to be quiet then. Please Luke. Make love to me."

Luke positioned himself above her and put one hand behind her head pulling her into a passionate kiss. Lorelai let her hands roam underneath his t-shirt, running her hands along his muscles. Luke sucked in a deep breath at the feel of her hands on his bare skin. Luke started placing small kisses down her neck while Lorelai's hand still roamed down his body.

"I've missed you so much Luke," Lorelai sighed out.

"I've missed you too. You have no idea how much."

"I'm yours Luke, all yours." Lorelai said as Luke's hands began to lift up her shirt. Luke looked up into her eyes which were now black with desire. Lorelai leans up and pulls him into a kiss. A kiss filled with the passion they held for each other over the past year.

Their lovemaking that night was filled with every ounce of pain, hurt, passion and love they harbored for one another over the past year. Their bodies and tongues spoke words that they were not able to say to one another at the moment. Their actions proved how much they missed one another and how much they still loved one another. Lorelai and Luke both knew that this night was one they would never forget. This night was the start of something they both so desperately needed in both of their lives. This was the start of something even better than before.

* * *

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! It was emotionally exhausting to write. I laughed and I cried. Hey, maybe you'll cry too. Not that I want to you to cry but seriously some emotions were poured into this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!**

**Reviews on last chapter:**

**Gilmoreintraining: Thanks for the review and for reading! There may just be a Luke/Jess confrontation soon, hint hint. I'm just writing Jess the way that I think he would really react to the situation.**

**Javajunkieobsessed: WOOO! Hahah thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**RachelImBlondinSease: Here's more for ya! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Nancy: I have something planned for Luke to do and it will be announced somewhere in the next few chapters. I needed something great for Rory to do but I also wanted her to stay not too far away. Thanks for reviewing and reading! I really appreciate it.**


	11. Gossips, Dates and Promises

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

**This chapter is up later than usual but I've been busy lately. Sorry!**

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai lay with her head on Luke's chest sound asleep; her legs were wrapped around his. Luke had his arm around Lorelai pulling her into a tight embrace. This is the position they fell asleep in and neither one moved through the night, afraid to let the other one go as if last night was only a dream.

Downstairs, Rory was wide awake and already brewing coffee for her mother. Rory woke up earlier than usual because today was the day her and her mother had to move everything out of the apartment and back to the house. Rory wanted to get an early start so they could finish faster but she was growing impatient waiting for her mother to wake up. She knew better than to wake her mother up too early on a Sunday because Lorelai liked her sleep but this was getting ridiculous. They had both agreed to be up early and Rory was keeping up her end of the deal while Lorelai was not.

Rory slowly climbed the stairs to her mother's room. She noticed the door was closed which wasn't too unusual for her mother.

"Mom," Rory called from outside of the door. She waited for an answer before trying again, "Mom," Rory called even louder but still no answer. She pushed open the door, "Mom!" she yelled before noticing Lorelai was wrapped around someone, "Oh god, I'm sorry!" Rory yelled backing out the room when she saw her mother was not alone. Rory looked down and noticed the clothes strewn around the room.

Lorelai popped her head up off of Luke's chest clutching the sheet next to her body, "Oh hey Rory," Lorelai said lamely noticing the expression on her daughter's face. She was definitely shocked by the situation. Luke woke up when he heard Lorelai talking. He sat up and noticed Rory standing in the doorway backing out of the room. He tried to grab the sheet to cover his upper body but Lorelai held it tight in her grasp. Lorelai was clad in Luke's flannel but still felt the need to cover herself.

"I'll just be downstairs," Rory said rushing out the room; her face turning red from walking in on her mom and Luke in bed together.

When Rory left the room, Lorelai fell back onto the bed. She turned towards Luke and noticed he was turning many different shades of red. She started giggling which caused Luke to shoot her an angry glare. The glare he shot her way sent her into hysterics.

"Lorelai, this isn't funny," Luke growled out. "Rory walked in on us."

Lorelai calmed her laughing down before speaking again, "It wasn't the first time she walked in on us Luke. At least this time we were only sleeping. She knows we're adults and what adults do."

"Aw jeez," Luke grumbled. He stood up from the bed and started getting dressed. Lorelai quickly followed him out of the bed. She grabbed a pair of sweatpants out of her dresser and slid them on underneath the flannel. "Can I get my shirt back Lorelai?" Luke said pointing to the flannel she was wearing.

Lorelai smirked, "Nope."

Luke sighed, "Come on, I need my shirt."

"I know that but I'm keeping this one. I believe you have an extra one in the closet." Luke walked over to the closet and found two of his flannels still hanging in the closet. He smiled at the fact that Lorelai had them in her closet. He pulled one out and slipped it on.

"I really need to get back to the diner. Cesar opened this morning so I should go in and give him a break." Luke said walking over to where Lorelai was standing watching him. He leaned down and captured her lips with his. He slowly deepened the kiss and heard Lorelai softly moan. Luke pulled away and rested his forehead on hers.

"I will walk you out," Lorelai said grabbing Luke's hand and leading him downstairs. They walked past the kitchen and noticed Rory sitting drinking coffee. Luke gave her a small wave as Lorelai led him to the door.

"Are you guys going to need help moving things out of Rory's apartment?" Luke asked as they stood in front of the door.

"No, you said you needed to get to the diner. We'll be fine on our own." Lorelai said as Luke turned to walk out the door.

"Are you sure? I can get Jess to help cover the diner." Luke suggested.

"It's fine. Plus this will be the start of mother-daughter bonding time." Lorelai smiled at Luke. She placed a kiss on his cheek before he managed to leave, "bye Luke."

"Bye Lorelai," Luke said walking out the door and back towards the diner. He glanced over and noticed that Babette was watching him with a slightly shocked but mainly pleased look on her face. Before he could say anything to her, Babette dropped the hose in her hand and ran inside her house.

Luke shook his head at the thought of the rumors she would start spreading and continued his journey to the diner.

* * *

Back inside the house, Lorelai walked into the kitchen after Luke left. She quickly filled a cup with coffee and sat down at the kitchen table next to Rory. Rory avoided her mother's gaze for a few minutes but finally looked up at her.

"So are we still going to get the stuff out of my apartment today?" Rory asked avoiding talking about Luke for right now.

"Just let me go take a shower then we can go." Lorelai said putting her cup in the sink and heading upstairs.

* * *

Luke managed to make it back to the diner without any interruptions from any in the town. He walked into his apartment and noticed that Jess was sitting down on the couch.

"What are you doing in here? Why aren't you helping out in the diner?" Luke asked. Ever since Jess came to visit, he was in the diner every day. Luke didn't have to ask him to help out, he just did.

"Someone needed to help Cesar out with the breakfast rush since the owner was nowhere to be found. Let me guess where you were. Lorelai's house? Am I correct?" Luke rolled his eyes. Why must everything Jess said be dripping with sarcasm?

"It doesn't matter where I was. I'm a grown man. I don't have to tell you where I go."

"So you were at Lorelai's. What did she say to convince you to stay this time? Do you just forget that fast everything she put you through by leaving suddenly?"

"Listen, I'm getting real tired of the way that you have been talking about Lorelai since you've been back in town. Stop it." Luke said now starting to get angry.

"She left you Luke. I don't have to like her after the things she put you through." Jess replied.

"I pushed her to leave Jess."

"No you didn't. She left because she's selfish. She didn't care how this would affect you at all."

"Stop talking about Lorelai like that right now!" Luke yelled. "You don't know what happened."

"Then tell me. Let me understand just why everything was so screwed up."

Luke looked around the apartment for a few minutes before he finally turned back to Jess, "Fine, I'll tell you."

"Okay." Jess said.

"I never told her about April. When I found out about April, I kept her from Lorelai. For two whole months I knew about April. Lorelai only found out about her because she ran into her in the diner. We had promised to never keep any more secrets from one another but I kept April from her."

"That's the reason she left?" Jess interrupted. "That doesn't seem like a good enough reason to just leave."

"I wasn't finished. After she found out about April, I still kept April from her. Hell, we were supposed to be getting married. Lorelai had already made all the plans after Rory and her stopped fighting but once April came along, we postponed the wedding again. We never made any plans to start thinking of a date for the wedding. Everything was just at a standstill. I wouldn't even let Lorelai come into the diner when April was there. I made Lorelai avoid April at all costs. Lorelai was my fiancé and I wouldn't even let her get to know my kid. After April, Lorelai and I barely spent any time together. Towards the end, I basically moved out of the house, the house that we had renovated together. I treated her horribly." Luke admitted for the first time to Jess.

"Why did you keep April from her?" Jess asked. He was trying to keep an open mind and just let Luke tell his story.

Luke sighed, "I don't really even know. I just wanted to get to know April and I thought that April would like Lorelai more than me because everyone loves Lorelai. I just wanted time with my daughter. I thought that if I let Lorelai into her life that she would not want to get to know me anymore."

"That's bullshit Luke. You're her father. She would want to get to know you even if she did love Lorelai. You let April into the diner and therefore she got to know everyone else before Lorelai. You let me know April but you didn't let your fiancé know her."

"I know that Jess!" Luke's voice rising with anger once again, "I screwed up. I made a mess of the entire situation. I thought she was fine with letting me get to know April by myself."

"Why would you think that she was okay with that? You were supposed to be getting married and you kept a huge part of your life from her." Jess was starting to feel a little sympathy for Lorelai hearing how Luke kept things from her.

"I don't know. She seemed fine with it when I told her. You know Lorelai if she doesn't like something she usually speaks her mind but she didn't let me know that this was bothering her. She didn't fight back like she usually does and I should have noticed something was wrong then. I was just too focused on April that I didn't focus on anything else." Luke said exasperated.

"So that's why she broke off the engagement?"

"We just stopped communicating with one another. We were best friends for years before getting together but once we were engaged everything changed. I didn't tell her about April because I was scared of losing her. I drove her away from my life. That's why she left."

"Lorelai would have understood. If it involved you she would have been there, just like you are always there for her." Jess said

"I know." Luke replied.

The pair sat there in silence as Jess mulled over the information Luke just shared with him. Luke never shared this much information with him before. Finally Jess decided to speak.

"Do you still love her?" Jess asked quietly.

"Yea," Luke admitted.

"Then don't screw it up this time." Jess warned. "Don't keep things from her."

"I'm not screwing anything up this time."

"Good and I'll try to be nicer towards Lorelai." Jess joked while rolling his eyes.

"You better be nice to her." Luke warned. "Now you head back down to the diner. I'll be there after I take a shower."

Luke walked towards the bathroom while Jess followed Luke's instructions and went to help at the diner.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory were now in Rory's car headed towards Rory's apartment. Rory was driving while Lorelai sat in the passenger seat. Neither one was talking which was highly unusual for the mother daughter pair. Lorelai decided to break the silence.

"So Luke spent the night," She joked.

"I noticed." Rory replied.

"Are you okay Rory? You've been quiet all morning."

"I'm fine. I guess I'm just shocked that Luke was in your bed this morning, that's all."

"It's not like I really planned that. He just walked me home last night and we talked so I asked him to spend the night with me."

"So things are going well between you two?" Rory asked glancing over at her mother.

"Yeah, I would say they are. We haven't discussed if we're officially back together or anything like that yet but I'm happy with the ways things are right now. Everything is slowly returning back to normal and that's what I really want at this stage."

"You're really happy?" Rory asked.

Lorelai smiled, "I really am."

Rory smiled back at her mother, "That's all that matters then. Just do whatever makes you happy."

Lorelai smirked, "Dirty!"

Rory groaned, "Mom, gross."

Rory pulled up to her apartment and they got out of the car. They headed up to the apartment where Rory already had most things boxed up.

"So are we carrying all of this back to the house?" Lorelai asked Rory as they were carrying boxes out to the car.

"I guess so, it's not too much. We should be able to get it all back to the house."

"Are you sure? I do have that storage center where you can put some of the stuff." Lorelai suggested.

"It will be fine at the house. Plus some of this stuff can just stay boxed up in the closet until the end of the summer. I have to leave soon for New York and will need all of this and it will be easier just to take it back to the house. That way everything is in one spot for when I have to move again."

"Oh don't remind me that you're moving again. I don't want you to move away. At least when you were at Yale you could drop by on the weekends."

"Mom, I have to move. This is a great opportunity."

"I know Rory. At least we have the entire summer to spend together!" Lorelai said excitedly.

"You know you do have the inn to take care of now that you're back in town, right?" Rory asked reminding her mother of The Dragonfly.

Lorelai sighed, "I'm the owner. I can take time off. Plus I can run the inn from over the phone. I have people to help me out and they have to do whatever I say. So whatever you want to do this summer, we can do it!"

"What about Luke?" Rory asked.

Lorelai looked confused, "What do you mean, what about Luke?"

"You're not spending the summer with him?"

"I can spend time with you and him. Luke and I will spend time together but I also want to spend time with my favorite daughter ever."

"You say that to all your daughters don't you?" Rory smirked.

"Yeah but when I say it to you I mean it." Lorelai said smiling. "Is this the last trip we have to make?" she asked as they made another trip down to the car.

"Nope, there are still a few more boxes upstairs," Rory said putting more boxes into her car.

"Ugh, so much work." Lorelai complained walking back up to Rory's apartment.

After two more trips back and forth, Rory's car was loaded down with boxes. Lorelai and Rory got into the car with Lorelai driving this time to give Rory a break and headed back to Stars Hollow.

* * *

After arriving back in Stars Hollow and moving all the boxes into the house, Lorelai and Rory decided to go to Luke's to eat. As they walked down the street to the diner, they noticed all the townspeople that were outside watching them closely.

They walked into the diner and sat down at a table. Lorelai looked around for Luke but couldn't find them. Jess walked over and gave them their coffee before walking away again.

"Okay, is it just me or is everyone staring at us?" Lorelai asked looking around at the crowded diner full of townspeople focused on Lorelai.

"Actually, I think they are just watching you." Rory said noticing that most of the attention was on her mother.

"Why? Do I have something on my face? Did I forget to put on pants or something?"

"No, you're good. I don't know why they are staring."

"We live in a town full of crazies." Lorelai responded.

Just then Luke walked up to take their orders. "Hey Lorelai, hey Rory," Luke said walking up to the table.

"Hey Luke," the girls responded. "Did I do something entirely crazy yesterday that I don't know about?" Lorelai asked looking up at Luke.

"Besides being your usual self?" Luke joked.

"Ha ha very funny, seriously though do you know why they are all staring?" Lorelai asked gesturing around to the townspeople that were now staring at the pair.

"Oh I think I know why that is."

"Why?" Lorelai and Rory asked at the very same time.

"Babette sort of saw me leaving your house this morning. They have been here most of the day. I think they were waiting to see if you would come in again."

"Ohhh," Lorelai said realizing why they were watching her now. "You didn't kick anyone out for staying here all day?"

"I kicked a few people out but as long as they are paying, I'm good." Luke responded.

"Just bring us our usual; we'll be good with that, right Rory?" Lorelai asked Rory. Rory just nodded her head to confirm her order. Luke walked away to the kitchen to prepare their orders.

"You would think they would stop with the watching you two by now." Rory said noting the townspeople were still watching Lorelai.

"I know, I feel like I'm on display or something. This is getting too weird. How am I supposed to eat like this?" Lorelai asked aloud.

"Do you want to go home?" Rory asked.

"Nah, they have to give up eventually. I'll be okay." Lorelai glanced around at the people and shot them all death glares trying to stop them from watching her. She turned back to Rory, "So anything you want to do this summer?"

"I don't know a road trip?" Rory suggested.

"A road trip to where?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know just a suggestion. What about going to theme parks?" Rory asked as Luke set down their cheeseburgers in front of them.

"What are you two talking about?" Luke asked standing next to them.

"We are trying to think of things that we can do this summer." Lorelai informed Luke. "We're not sure what we want to do."

"Well, you'll figure something out." Luke said. "I'll leave you two to eat."

Luke walked away leaving Rory and Lorelai alone to finish their food. After cheeseburgers, fries, one slice of pie each and several cups of coffee, Lorelai and Rory are finished with their meal. Rory left the diner and headed over to Doose's to pick up a few items for movie night. Lorelai headed over to the counter to talk to Luke, with the townspeople watching her every step.

"Hey Lorelai, can I talk to you for a minute?" Luke asked when Lorelai approached the counter. Luke gestured for her to follow him before she could answer. Lorelai quickly followed him behind the curtain.

"What did you want…" she was cut off by Luke's lips on hers. He backed her up against the wall all the while keeping their lips connected. Luke deepened the kiss causing Lorelai to moan softly. After a few minutes, Lorelai pulled away and rested her forehead against Luke's.

"Is that the reason you needed to talk to me?" she asked once she was in control of her breathing again.

Luke smirked, "Well that and I wanted to see what you're doing tomorrow night."

Lorelai gasped, "Why Luke are you asking me out on a date?" she teased.

"That's exactly what I'm asking."

"Well you already got me into bed so I guess it's time for a date." Lorelai joked.

"Excuse me; I think you're the one that got me into bed."

Lorelai thought about it for a moment, "Yea that does sounds like me." Luke laughed. "So what did you have planned for tomorrow night?"

"I'm going to take you out to dinner."

"Can I know where?"

"Nope."

"Please Luke?" Lorelai pleaded.

"I'm not caving Lorelai."

"Fine," she pouted. "What do you think they think we are doing back here?" Lorelai said pointing her heads towards the curtain separating them from the diner.

"God, who knows, they probably have all kinds of crazy ideas."

"Yeah, probably something like this," Lorelai said pulling Luke closer to her. She crashed her lips into his. Luke immediately ran his tongue along her bottom lip waiting for her to open her mouth. Lorelai opened her mouth allowing Luke to deepen the kiss. Luke moved his hand to the small of her back pulling her as close as possible to him. They broke apart only when oxygen was essential. They stood staring into one another's eyes for a few minutes.

"I've really missed you Luke."

"I've missed you too."

"I should probably get home now; Rory's probably waiting on me."

"Okay, see you tomorrow.

"Wait," Lorelai leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Bye Luke."

Lorelai and Luke walked out from behind the curtain at the same time. The chatting that was going on in the diner stopped when the couple reappeared. Lorelai smiled back at Luke and exited the diner.

* * *

The next night Lorelai was upstairs getting ready for her date with Luke. She was currently in freak-out mode.

"Rory, I have nothing to wear!" Lorelai yelled from the top of the stairs.

"I can't help. That's usually my problem, not yours!" Rory yelled back. She was sitting on the couch reading Jess' book he gave her as a graduation present.

Lorelai whined, "Rory, please help!"

"Fine!" Rory stood up from the couch and rushed upstairs.

"Yay!" Lorelai said clapping when she saw Rory heading upstairs. "I don't know what to wear tonight!" Rory followed her mother into her room which had clothes strewn everywhere, more so than usual.

"Calm down, I'm sure we can find something."

"No we won't. I cannot find anything!" Lorelai said pacing around her room. "This is like our first date Rory. Well not really considering everything but it's our first date since I left. I think this is more nerve-wracking than our actual first date. Why am I freaking out so much?"

"Mom, sit down now." Rory said guiding her mother towards the bed, "Calm down. I will try and find something."

Rory rifled through her mother's closet for a few minutes before finding a dress at the back of her closet. "What about this one?" Rory asked. She held up the dress to her mother.

"Where did that came from?" Lorelai asked.

"The closet?" Rory said confused. "Go try it on." Rory threw the dress at her mother. Lorelai grabbed the dress and quickly disappeared into the bathroom. After a few minutes she emerged from the bathroom.

"I think this one will work." Lorelai said standing in front of Rory. The dress was a navy blue wrap dress. It was a curve hugging dress that hit just above the knee. The color of the dress helped to set off Lorelai's eyes.

"You look beautiful mom." Rory said taking in her mother's appearance. Lorelai started looking for shoes to wear when they heard someone knocking at the door. "Rory go downstairs and let Luke inside. I'll be down in a minute."

Rory walked downstairs and over to the front door. She opened the front door to Luke standing there.

"Hey Luke, Mom's just finishing getting ready."

"She's still getting ready?" Rory nodded "I even showed up late."

Rory laughed, "She had a freak-out about what to wear. Come in, she should be downstairs soon." Luke stepped inside. He waited at the bottom of the stairs for Lorelai to come down. They heard a loud bang from upstairs,

"Lorelai are you okay?" Luke yelled.

"I'm fine; I was just throwing some shoes." Luke looked over to Rory who just shrugged her shoulders at Lorelai's comments. A few minutes later, Lorelai appeared at the top of the staircase. She locked eyes with Luke all the way down the staircase.

"Hi," she said shyly when she was standing in front of Luke. They were almost eye-to-eye now considering Lorelai was wearing heels.

"You look amazing, Lorelai." Luke said.

Lorelai smiled, "Thank you. Should we get going now?"

"Yes, we should." Luke took Lorelai's hand and led her out the front door. Rory walked behind them to the front door.

"Don't stay out past your curfew young lady!" Rory yelled from the doorway as Luke was helping Lorelai into his truck.

"Okay Mom!" Lorelai yelled back laughing. Luke climbed into the driver's side and backed out of the driveway.

* * *

A few minutes into the drive, Lorelai turned to Luke,

"So now are you going to tell me where we are going?"

"Nope but I know you will love it."

"Please tell me Luke."

"Not going to cave Lorelai."

"Please, please, please, please!" Lorelai begged in the manner of a five-year old begging for candy.

"No Lorelai and if you ask again you will get no dessert." Luke warned.

"You would never deny me dessert."

"Try me," Luke growled.

Lorelai opened her mouth to say something else but decided she didn't want to risk missing dessert. The ride to their destination was spent in a comfortable silence with a few stolen glances at one another the whole ride. Whenever one of them would catch the other one staring, they would both blush and smile shyly. Luke pulled into the parking lot and Lorelai noticed immediately where they were.

"Sniffy's?" Lorelai asked remembering how he brought her here for their first date. She smiled at the memory playing through her mind.

"It seemed like the right place," Luke said shrugging his shoulders.

Lorelai placed her hand on his arm, "Its perfect Luke."

Luke stepped out of the truck and hurried to help Lorelai out on her side. Lorelai interlocked her hand with his as they walked to the restaurant. Luke pushed open the door and led her inside.

* * *

Maisy looked up when she saw a couple entering the diner. When she noticed that is was Luke and he was back with Lorelai she ran over to the couple.

"Lucas! Lorelai! I'm so glad to see you two together again!" Maisy exclaimed wrapping Luke into a hug. After hugging Luke she moved onto Lorelai. Maisy knew about the break-up between Luke and Lorelai and was just as devastated by the news as everyone else. "Wait, you two are together right?" Maisy asked for confirmation.

Luke nodded his head, "We're together." Lorelai smiled over at him.

"Ohh I'm so excited to see you two again! I need to go tell Buddy!" Maisy said running off in the direction of the kitchen.

"So we're together?" Lorelai questioned, "Time to make it official to everyone?"

"I didn't know what else to say," Luke said thinking Lorelai wasn't ready for them to be officially together. Lorelai noticed how uncomfortable he looked now.

"Oh no, no Luke I was just saying that we should tell everyone now. I love the fact that we're back together." Luke relaxed as Lorelai talked. He was happy that she was also in love with the fact they were a couple again.

Just then Maisy walked up with Buddy, "Maisy told me you two we're back together and I couldn't believe it. It's nice to see you two again."

"It's nice to see you too Buddy," Lorelai greeted.

"Well you two come this way, there's a table over this way." Maisy gestured for Luke and Lorelai to follow her.

Soon, Luke and Lorelai were seated. Maisy brought out champagne for the couple to share since this was a very special night for the two of them. After Maisy left to get their food, Luke reached across the table and grabbed Lorelai's hand.

"I'm so glad you decided to come back Lorelai."

"One of the best decisions of my life so far."

Luke raised his eyebrow up, "one of the best? What are the others?"

Lorelai pretended to think, "Well there's running away to Stars Hollow with Rory, opening The Dragonfly and pretty much anything that involves you."

Luke smiled at her answer. They sat there staring into each other's eyes just enjoying each other's company when Maisy interrupted them bringing them their food. They ate their food chatting about the inn, the diner, Rory, April and every other little that was going on in their lives.

"There's actually something that I've been thinking about that I wanted to ask you Lorelai," Luke said as Lorelai was now eating her dessert.

Lorelai looked up at Luke, "What is it?"

"You know how you and Rory have been planning to do something this summer?" Lorelai nodded. "Well I have an idea."

"Okay, what's your idea?"

"I was just thinking that this summer I would love to spend time with you. I know you want to spend a lot of time with Rory so I have a plan that I'm suggesting. This summer, April will be staying with me for a few weeks. I was thinking during those weeks that you, Rory, April and myself could go out to my family's cabin. We could take the boat out there, maybe go fishing. I know you don't fish but I just thought it would be nice. This would give you a chance to spend some real time with April and Rory." Luke said looking over at Lorelai noticing that she had tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

"What? Oh yeah," Lorelai said dapping at her eyes with a napkin. "I'm just so glad you suggested this Luke. I'm happy that you're allowing me in April's life."

"You're a part of my life and so is April. I cannot keep you two separate. So does that sound like something you want to do?"

"I would love it and I'm sure Rory will too. She loves you so much and will be thrilled that you're sharing this with her."

"I love her too."

Lorelai smiled, "I know you do."

"You ready to go?" Luke asked noticing that Lorelai was finished with her dessert.

"Yea, let's go."

Luke walked over to Maisy to pay the bill. Maisy quickly waved him off though, "It is a very special night, no charge for you two."

"Thank you Maisy," Luke said.

"You two make a great looking couple," Maisy complimented.

"Yea, we really do." Lorelai replied. She wrapped her arm around Luke's and leaned into him.

"You two were made for one another. Lucas, do not let this one get away this time. You hold onto her or I will come after you." Maisy warned.

"I'm never letting her go again." Luke said kissing the top of Lorelai's head.

She looked up at him, "You better not. Listen to Maisy, she's a smart woman."

"Well you two have a nice night. Come back soon!" Maisy yelled as the couple turned to walk out the door.

"Oh we will!" Lorelai yelled back grinning widely. Luke walked to the passenger side of the truck and helped Lorelai in. After making sure Lorelai was safely in, Luke climbed into the driver's side and drove away from the restaurant.

* * *

After arriving back in Stars Hollow, Luke pulled up to the diner and helped Lorelai out of the truck. He opened the door to the diner and led her inside. Lorelai took up residence on her favorite stool while Luke brewed the coffee. When the coffee was finished, Luke grabbed Lorelai's favorite mug and poured coffee into it.

"I just figured you would want some coffee since you always do." Luke said placing the mug in front of her.

"Oh Lucas you know me so well." Lorelai teased. She knew that he didn't like for her to call him Lucas.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" Luke asked.

"Hmm, maybe you have. I just can't seem to remember right now. Perhaps I will remember someday." Lorelai said joking. Luke rolled his eyes at Lorelai, "So when is April coming for the summer?" Lorelai asked.

"She will be here in like a week and a half. She just finished school this previous week, so she's spending a little bit of time with Anna before coming here."

Lorelai nodded without saying anything else.

Luke continued talking, "So are you really okay with this? I mean spending time with April? I know you wanted mother-daughter time with Rory this summer."

Lorelai reached across the counter and grabbed his hand, "I'm fine with it. It's great really. I did want to spend time with Rory but I also really want to spend time with April. I'm looking forward to this trip, Luke."

Luke smiled down at Lorelai. "Thanks for doing this Lorelai."

Lorelai shook her head, "You don't have to thank me Luke. I really want to make us work this time. I want to be with you. April's a great kid and I would love to get to know her better."

"Great, that's all I want Lorelai." Luke said leaning down and placing a light kiss on her lips.

"So when are you planning to take us on this trip?" Lorelai asked.

"I still need to work out all the details but I was thinking it would be a few days after April arrives here. We can discuss the details later."

"Sounds good to me, I should probably get home now. Walk me home Luke?"

"Well it is only customary to walk a lady to her front door after a date."

Lorelai nodded and placed her cup back on the counter. She held out her hand to Luke, "Well come on then."

Luke grabbed her hand and led her out the diner door. Lorelai leaned into Luke as they walked down the quiet street. "So should we tell the town we're back together or just let them figure it out on their own?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm pretty sure they already know. I mean Babette did see me leaving your house the other morning and they were all watching us in the diner yesterday. I think they know." Luke pointed out.

"Yeah but we could still make it officially official. We could still confirm their rumors well maybe not all their rumors because who knows what they are thinking." Lorelai said smiling in amusement at thinking about the possibilities of what the townspeople were coming up with.

"Do you want to come inside?" Lorelai asked when she noticed they were now standing on the front porch. "You can stay the night again." Lorelai suggested.

"I have to open the diner in the morning, Lorelai."

"Oh,"

"I want to stay the night but I just have to get up early. It would be easier to stay at the apartment."

"I understand Luke. You have a business to run." Lorelai said trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

Luke noticed how her demeanor changed when he said no, "Well I guess I could wake up early and leave from here. It's not like you live that far from the diner."

Lorelai smiled, "Really?"

"Really," Luke confirmed pushing past Lorelai to open the front door.

When they got inside, Lorelai led him upstairs and to the bedroom. She quickly changed out of her dress and into the flannel she borrowed from Luke the last time he spent the night. Luke changed into his sweatpants that were left at Lorelai's house. Luke slipped into bed next to Lorelai and pulled her closer towards him. Lorelai turned around to face Luke and kissed him softly. She opened her mouth to say I love you but couldn't seem to get the words out. She really wanted to say them but just couldn't bring herself to form the words.

"Goodnight Luke," she finally whispered before turning her back to him once again.

"Goodnight Lorelai," Luke quickly responded before pulling her in closer again. Lorelai smiled when she felt Luke's arm wrap around her waist like they have done so many times before everything became so screwed up. She vowed to herself that nothing was going to ruin her relationship with Luke this time. Luke already promised to never let her go away again and she was going to make sure that nothing would make her leave Luke again.

* * *

**Another chapter done! Woooo! Thank you for reading and reviewing. Please leave a review telling me your opinions on the story, good or bad I want them all.**

**I hope you are continuing to enjoy this story!**

**Reviews on last chapter:**

**Ladypuercoloco: Thanks for the review! I loved the last part too haha. I have plans for Emily and Rory that will show up soon.**

**Nancy: Thank you! Thanks for the review! I never really cared for Logan and how he acted at her graduation on the show. **


	12. Dinners, Fights and Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

* * *

Lorelai was already downstairs and ready for the day when Rory emerged from her room.

"Good morning sleepyhead," Lorelai greeted Rory as she sat down at the table next to her.

"What are you doing awake so early? Usually you're just now coming downstairs." Rory said looking over at her mother.

"After Luke left this morning, I couldn't really get back to sleep so I decided to stay up. I've actually been up for a few hours now."

Rory got up from the table and started pouring herself a cup of coffee, "So Luke spent the night again last night?"

Lorelai nodded, "Yeah." She noticed her daughter's expression, "Are you okay with that? I can see how it can be weird for you. Sorry about not locking the door yesterday morning by the way."

"Mom, seriously I'm fine with this. I'm happy you guys are trying to work things out. So how did the date last night go?" Rory asked smiling.

Lorelai smiled brightly, "It was great. We went back to Sniffy's. Maisy and Buddy were super excited that we were back together. Spending time together last night was like we never really spent any time apart at all. Everything was the same as before but at the same time it was so much better."

"Aww Mom. Of course they were excited to see you two together. Everyone will be happy to know that you're back together."

"Actually there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What about?" Rory asked.

"Well last night, Luke and I were talking about you and April and our summer plans. He told me that he had an idea for the summer. He told me that April was coming for a few weeks this summer to spend time with him. Luke had the idea that we could all go out to his family cabin for a little while so we could all spend time together."

"He's inviting us to spend time with him and April?" Lorelai nodded, "So what did you tell him?"

"I told him that I would love to be able to spend time with you, April and him."

"Okay."

"Is that something you want to do? I mean I know this summer was supposed to be about us before you move to New York but this is a great opportunity, for all of us."

"I know that. It seems like a great idea. I mean he actually wants you to spend time with April, that's really great. He's really trying to make everything work between you two. This is a great step forward. I'm looking forward to this trip."

"Great! So Luke's for breakfast?" Lorelai asked.

"Sure, just let me get dressed." Rory said walking into her room and closing the door.

"Well hurry up! I'm staarrrvveeed," Lorelai drug out in her sing-song voice.

"You have been up for hours and you haven't eaten?" Rory asked through her closed door.

Lorelai gasped, "Do you even know your own mother at all Rory? Of course I have eaten but we didn't have that many pop-tarts and know I'm hungry again! So move your butt!"

Rory came out of her room, fully dressed, "Calm down, I'm ready now. Let's go."

"Yay!" Lorelai said clapping her hands. Lorelai and Rory headed out the door and towards the diner.

* * *

Once they arrived at the diner, Lorelai and Rory took a spot at an empty table. Luke quickly brought them their coffee and took their breakfast orders.

"Hurry up with my food Luke. I'm staarrrvveeed!" She said in the same manner she had to Rory just minutes earlier.

"What's with her?" Luke asked looking at Rory.

"She's been like this all morning. I think she's consumed a whole lot more coffee than she usually does in the mornings." Rory replied.

"How many cups of coffee have you had Lorelai?"

Lorelai smiled innocently, "Oh I don't know like two or three."

"Lorelai," Luke warned.

"Or maybe it was more along the lines of seven or eight."

"Eight cups already?" Luke asked in disbelief. "I'm cutting you off." Luke said picking up her mug and walking away from the table.

Lorelai jumped up from the table walking right behind Luke, "You wouldn't do that to me."

"That's what I'm doing now." Luke said turning around to face her.

"Please Luke, I need coffee to survive. Plus the only reason I drank so much this morning is because you woke me up when you left this morning and then I could not go back to sleep. I have been up for hours!"

"You don't need coffee to survive; you can survive just fine without it."

Lorelai stepped closer to Luke and placed her hand on his chest, "Please Luke, I really want some coffee," she whispered. She began to draw little circles on his chest with her finger like she did when they were in bed together. Luke sucked in a breath as Lorelai ran her hand along his chest.

After a few seconds, Luke finally gave in, "Fine, take your coffee." He said placing the mug back in her hands.

Lorelai smiled knowing that she always got what she wanted from Luke, "Thanks!" She said leaning up and placing a quick kiss on his lips much to Luke's surprise. She winked at him as she pulled away, "Just letting the townspeople know we're back together," she whispered before walking away. Luke smiled as he watched her walk back to her table. Babette and Miss Patty started gossiping at their corner table witnessing the interaction between the couple.

A few minutes later, Luke brought out their breakfast plates. The girls started eating their breakfast.

"So what are your plans for the day?" Lorelai asked.

Rory shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I might go by and see Lane and her babies. I still need to unpack some things for my room. Are you going to be at the inn all day?"

"I will probably end up being there most of the day. I haven't spent too much time there recently and if we are going to take this trip then I need to spend as much time there as possible."

"Okay, I may come by their later."

Lorelai and Rory sat there and finished their breakfast when they were approached by Miss Patty.

"So Lorelai darling are my assumptions correct, are you and Luke back together?" she asked grinning knowingly at Lorelai. "Babette did catch him leaving your house the other morning after all and there was the little kiss you two shared just moments ago."

"You are correct. We are definitely back together." Lorelai answered smiling over at Luke whose grin was just as wide as hers.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two kids, finally back together. You are really great together."

"Thank you Patty, I would love to stay and chat but I really need to get over to the inn now. See you around," Lorelai said getting up from her table and walking towards the counter to see Luke. Rory left the table too but headed outside moving towards Lane's house.

"Hey Luke," Lorelai said as she approached the counter, "I'm about to head to the inn now. I'll see you later tonight."

"You're not coming in for lunch?" Luke asked.

"Nope, I have things at the inn to do and I might not get a lunch break so I'm just going to eat their most likely."

"Okay," Luke said leaning over the counter and kissing her on the cheek. "Bye Lorelai."

"Bye Lucas," Lorelai said turning to walk out the door. Luke shot her an angry glare like he did every time she called him Lucas. Lorelai smiled back and noticed a tiny smile forming on Luke's face.

* * *

Later that day, Lorelai was in the kitchen at the inn talking to Sookie before she headed home for the day.

"Luke and I went out on a date last night," Lorelai said nonchalantly.

"What? Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Sookie asked.

"I'm telling you about it now!" Lorelai replied.

"What happened on your date?"

"Well we went to Sniffy's…" Lorelai said before she was interrupted by Sookie.

"Aww just like your first date," Sookie said smiling.

Lorelai nodded, "Exactly. It was really amazing. Maisy made him promise that he wouldn't let me go this time. Oohh get this, we were talking about plans for the summer because Rory and I had planned to spend a lot of time together before she moves and he suggested that we all, which includes Rory, myself, Luke and April, go to his family's cabin for a little while."

"Really? So you guys are totally serious about getting back together?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah, we are. We are technically back together anyways."

Sookie smiled, "Oh yeah I heard rumors that he was caught leaving your house early in the morning the other day."

Lorelai blushed slightly, "Yeah that definitely started all the rumors but I officially told Miss Patty that we were back together this morning in the diner so everyone should know by now."

"Have you two talked any about….." Sookie said before stopping herself, "Never mind, forgot I asked anything."

Lorelai sat there confused for a moment before realizing Sookie was talking about the engagement, "Uh…no….we haven't. We just got back together; I don't want to rush along an engagement. Plus, I'm happy just to be with him right now. Marriage is something that I want in the long run but right now I'm content that we are finally back together; that we could finally work everything out between us. I'm really happy with the way things are now."

Sookie smiled, "I get what you mean. So when are you guys going on this trip?" she asked.

"Well we haven't really discussed the fine details of it yet. I wanted to make sure Rory was on board which of course she was with all of it. We are going to discuss the plans soon though."

"That's great, I'm sure the trip will be fine."

"Yeah, well I should probably get home now. I need to see what Rory wants to do for dinner tonight."

"Okay, I need to get home too. I think I left Jackson with the kids long enough," Sookie said laughing.

Lorelai laughed, "Yea, he's probably going crazy by now. Tell the kids I said hey. See you tomorrow Sookie," she said walking out of the kitchen.

Lorelai headed towards her office to pick up her belongings before heading out the door to the inn. Once outside, she quickly headed towards her house to see what Rory was up too.

* * *

When Lorelai arrived home, she noticed that Luke's truck was parked in her driveway next to Rory's car. She gave his truck a confused glance before heading inside. She walked through the front door and heard Luke and Rory talking.

"Rory? Luke?" Lorelai called out as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Kitchen," Rory yelled.

"Hey you two, what are you guys doing?" Lorelai asked looking confused.

"Luke came by to cook us dinner, so I was just keeping him company." Rory replied.

Lorelai looked over at Luke, "You didn't have to cook us dinner Luke."

"Yeah, I didn't have too but I wanted too. You guys need something other than cheeseburgers and Chinese once in a while." Luke said greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.

"We do get something else everyone once in a while, we order pizza sometimes, duh Luke." Luke rolled his eyes. "Do you have to close the diner tonight?"

Luke shook his head, "No, Cesar is closing."

Lorelai nodded, "What's Jess doing tonight? Why don't you invite him over for dinner too?"

"Well I was just cooking dinner for you two but I can see if Jess wants to come over."

Lorelai smiled, "Then invite him over. He'll be leaving soon right?" Luke nodded, "So he should spend time with people instead of spending all his time in the diner."

"I can go get him from the diner," Rory chimed in, "That way Luke can keep an eye on the food because I don't think Mom should be trusted with that responsibility." Rory said teasing.

"Well she's right, I'll probably end up burning everything." Lorelai said laughing. "So Rory will go get Jess and you'll watch the food. I'm going to go change into something else, be right back." She said kissing Luke on the cheek before going upstairs. While Lorelai was upstairs changing, Rory left for the diner to go pick up Jess.

A few minutes later, Lorelai came downstairs dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She walked up behind Luke and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey," Luke said as he turned around to face Lorelai. She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. Luke kissed her back softly. Lorelai pulled back after a few minutes.

"Thanks for coming by tonight Luke."

"You're welcome Lorelai."

"So what are you cooking for dinner?" Lorelai asked while she was fixing herself something to drink.

"Just some pizza, it was easy to make."

"Did you try to sneak a lot of veggies into it?" Lorelai asked jokingly.

Luke laughed, "No, Rory was here so I wasn't able to sneak them in at all. I put vegetables on a small portion of the pizza for myself though."

"Good, you can keep the veggies all to yourself. I'll take all the good stuff."

"You need to eat your vegetables."

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "You've been trying that for years, it's not going to work."

"Oh it will work one day. I will get you to eat something healthy one day."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him, "It's on." She pressed her forehead against his staring into his eyes. She was trying to be serious until he leaned down and placed a light kiss on her lips. Lorelai just started laughing and backed away from him when they heard the door open.

Rory and Jess walked into the kitchen, chatting about Jess' new book that Rory had already finished reading.

"We are back," Rory announced.

"I can see that. Hi Jess." Lorelai greeted.

"Hey Lorelai, thanks for having me over," Jess politely responded which shocked Lorelai since he had been so cold towards her since his arrival.

"Oh well, I'm not doing much. Luke is cooking everything so I'm just here." Lorelai replied.

"Pizza's ready," Luke announced while pulling the pizza out of the oven. Lorelai took everyone's drink orders and quickly fulfilled them while Luke dished out the pizza.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes just eating their pizza, Lorelai decided to speak.

"So Jess how's your family?" Lorelai asked trying to initiate conversation somewhere.

"Everyone's good, Doula has grown a lot since the last time I saw her," Jess replied.

"Babies do tend to grow really fast like that," Lorelai said smiling remembering back to when Rory was a baby. She was lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize Luke was trying to get her attention.

"Lorelai?" Luke asked once again which finally broke Lorelai out of her thoughts.

"Hmm, what?"

"You just seemed distracted," Luke said.

Lorelai smiled, "I was just thinking about Rory when she was a baby." She looked over at her daughter who smiled back at her.

The group continued chatting through their dinner. Jess talked about his bookstore and even told them all about his new book, which Rory highly praised having been the first one to read it. Lorelai and Luke both congratulated Jess on all his success with the bookstore and his writing. Rory talked about the upcoming move to New York with her internship to which Lorelai overdramatically begged Rory not to leave her much to Luke and Jess' amusement. After dinner, Jess and Rory decided to go see a movie together leaving Luke and Lorelai at the house.

"So Jess was a lot friendlier than usual tonight," Lorelai said as she was washing dishes.

"Yeah, he never really knew why you left Stars Hollow because at the time when he visited I didn't talk about it. I finally told him everything that happened because I was tired of him blaming you when a lot of things were my fault."

"Oh, it was both of our faults Luke. We are both fully to blame for everything." Lorelai said turning to face Luke, "but things are a lot better now. We are a lot better now." She smiled.

Luke smiled back at her, "Yes we are."

After a few minutes all the dishes were washed and dried. Luke and Lorelai were in the living room watching TV. Lorelai's head was rested on Luke's shoulder with Luke's arm wrapped around her.

"I talked to April today," Luke said.

Lorelai looked up at Luke, "Yeah, what did you guys talk about?"

"She informed me that her mother is going to bring her by next Thursday and then she will stay with me for about three weeks."

"Awww, how nice," Lorelai said smiling. "Do you have anything planned for her? I mean besides the trip we are taking together."

"Not really, she wants to spend time in Stars Hollow so I'm not sure what we are going to do."

"You'll think of something," Lorelai said reassuring him, "When did you want to take this trip?"

"I was thinking we could leave the weekend after she gets here and then spend the next week out at the cabin, maybe not all of the week but at least a few days out there."

"Ooh, let's leave Friday so I have an excuse for getting out of Friday Night dinner!" Lorelai said grinning widely at Luke.

Luke laughed, "Still trying to get out of those?"

"I thought they would be over once Rory graduated but now that she is moving, they want to have dinner throughout the summer even though I already informed her that Rory and I would most likely have plans. She is still adamant about those dinners but now I can have an excuse to its all good."

"So you're just using me?" Luke asked.

"That definitely calls for a dirty!" Lorelai said giggling.

"I walked right into that one. So how long can you stay away from the inn? I was just wondering for when we take our trip."

"I can stay away as long as I want. I own the place, remember? Plus I will have my cell phone with me if they need anything but I will inform them to call me only if it's an absolute emergency."

"Great so we can leave Friday morning and stay until at least Wednesday," Luke suggested.

"That sounds great to me. I'm really looking forward to spending time with April and Rory on this trip." Lorelai teased.

Luke pretended to be hurt by her words, "You're not looking forward to spend time with me?"

"Hmm, let me think," Lorelai said putting her finger on her chin pretending to think. "Hmm, I don't think so," she said grinning.

Luke pulled her closer and placed a few soft kisses on her lips before slowly deepening the kiss. Lorelai climbed into his lap all while keeping their lips connected. Luke broke away from the kiss after a few minutes, "So are you looking forward to spending time with me now?" he whispered.

"Oh definitely," she replied before meeting his lips for another kiss. Lorelai moved off his lap when they heard the front door open. She placed her head back on Luke's shoulder like she did before when Rory walked into the room.

"Hey kid, where's Jess?" asked Lorelai.

"He headed back to the apartment after the movie. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight Mom, goodnight Luke." Rory said walking in the direction of her room.

"Goodnight Rory," they said in unison.

Lorelai turned to look at Luke, "So are you going back to the apartment or are you going to join me upstairs?" Lorelai asked.

"I'll stay if you want me to stay." Luke replied.

"I want you to stay but only if you want to stay."

"Then I will definitely stay over tonight," Luke said smiling.

"Great, come on," Lorelai said grabbing his hand and dragging him upstairs. "We'll just have to remember to lock the door this time," she said laughing.

Luke smiled and rolled his eyes at Lorelai before following her into the bedroom and locking the door.

* * *

Later that week on Friday, Lorelai and Rory were at the house getting ready for Friday Night dinner. Luke and Lorelai spent most nights together, with Luke spending the nights at Lorelai's house. They were both happy with the arrangement. Lorelai didn't even have to ask Luke to stay anymore; he just stayed over every night. Rory spent more time with Jess during the week when he wasn't working at the diner with Luke.

"Mom!" Rory yelled from downstairs, "We are going to be late if you don't hurry up."

"I'm always late, they expect that from me." Lorelai yelled back, "I'm almost done anyways. Just give me five more minutes."

Ten minutes later, Lorelai came downstairs fully dressed for dinner. "I know, I took longer than I said but you should totally expect that from me by now. You have known me all your life." Lorelai said grabbing her keys and heading out the front door as Rory followed her.

* * *

"So are you going to tell grandma and grandpa about you and Luke?" Rory asked as they stood at the front door of the Gilmore Mansion.

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I should tell them. I have to tell them that we will not be here for dinner next Friday and they are going to ask why so I just have to tell them about Luke. I cannot really keep this from them. There's really no reason not to tell them."

The door opened and Lorelai and Rory noticed it was Emily that answered the door.

"Mom, what are you doing answering the door?" Lorelai asked.

"The maid is incompetent. Come in, come in,: Emily said ushering them in the door and towards the living room.

"Hello Lorelai, Rory, "Richard said greeting them as they entered the living room. He took their drink orders as they sat down on the couch.

"So, Rory, how are you enjoying your summer off?" Emily asked sitting down across from her.

"It's going fine. I have been spending time at the bookstore and some of my time at the inn. Jess is in town so I have been spending a little time with him too." Rory replied.

"Jess?" Emily asked. "Is that the same Jess as before?"

"Yes but we are just friends. He is not staying in Stars Hollow for long anyways so we just spent time together while he is here."

The maid interrupted and informed the group that dinner was ready. Since dinner was on time there was no reason for Emily to complain so they all followed the maid into the kitchen. Once they were all seated at the table and had the first course in front of them, Emily turned to Rory. Lorelai knew exactly where this conversation was headed.

"Rory, how's Logan?" Emily asked. Lorelai rolled her eyes. Her mother had promised not to say anything at graduation but was definitely going to take her chance now.

"Well I wouldn't know, I have not talked to him since graduation." Rory replied.

"Yes, your mother told us that you turned down his proposal after graduation." Emily said.

"Hey, guess what guys I have news! Great news!" Lorelai blurted out trying to take attention away from Rory.

"Lorelai, really, I'm talking to Rory right now. Stop trying to hog all the attention." Emily said coldly.

Rory sighed, "Yes I did turn down his proposal after graduation. Mom was right in telling you that," Rory explained.

"Why exactly did you turn down his proposal?" Emily asked.

"Luke and I are back together!" Lorelai yelled across the table hoping Emily would drop the subject of Logan, she knew that Rory did not want to talk about it right now.

"That's great Lorelai," Richard said from his end of the table. "I'm glad you two are back together."

"Thank you Dad, I'm really glad as well." Lorelai said smiling.

"You two stop talking; I'm trying to talk to Rory. Lorelai you need to quiet down," Emily said scolding Richard and Lorelai.

Lorelai shot Rory an apologetic glance before focusing on her food.

Rory sighed, "I turned down his proposal because I wasn't ready for that. He wanted all or nothing. He didn't care that I had an internship in New York."

"Oh, I'm sure he cared Rory, that boy really cares about you." Emily replied.

"Luke, Rory, April and I are all taking a trip together," Lorelai announced hoping this time Emily would drop the subject.

Rory ignored her mother's comments, "No, he didn't. If he cared then he would have at least tried to make something work between us but he didn't. He wanted me to give up all my dreams for him so I could go to California. I want to go to New York and do this internship that I have been offered. If I had said yes to Logan then I couldn't do that at all."

"That boy could have given you everything you ever wanted." Emily said raising her voice.

"No he could not! You don't understand that. The only way that I would have even considered marrying him was if he actually supported my dream of moving to New York, which he didn't. I want to go out into the world and actually work for the things I need. I don't need them handed to me from Logan!" Rory yelled at her grandmother.

Lorelai racked her brain trying to find something to say that would truly distract Emily from Rory. Lorelai started making noises with her silverware and beating on the table trying to distract them from arguing. Richard was amused at his daughter's antic to distract attention away from Rory. Emily just sent angry glares her way.

"You're just like your mother!" Emily yelled.

"What's wrong with that?" Rory asked. "I want to be like her. I would never be like her if I married Logan. If I married him then I would have things handed to me and would probably never accomplish things I wanted to do because he would never support me. He wanted me to choose all or nothing. I chose nothing. I was willing to try long distance because I did love him and I wanted everything to work out between us. He was not willing to try that at all. He did not want that. So I told him that I didn't want to marry him. I'm still young. Marriage is not something that I really need to do right now anyways." Rory yelled as she stood up from the table.

Emily stood up from the table, "I was married young! There's nothing wrong with it." She shouted back.

"Yeah but I'm not you Grandma!" Rory yelled back.

Suddenly, Lorelai had an idea. She grinned wickedly before yelling, "I'm pregnant!" That definitely got their attention.

"WHAT?" They all three yelled turning to face Lorelai.

"But you're drinking wine," Rory pointed out, "Why would you drink wine if you knew you were pregnant?"

Lorelai just sat there grinning from ear to ear, "Chill out. I'm not pregnant, I was totally lying. I just needed to get you attention."

"That's not something to joke about Lorelai," Emily scolded.

"Well I needed to get the attention away from Rory because I have things to say. First off, do not berate Rory for her choice to not marry Logan. Rory has legitimate reasons for not choosing to marry him. That is Rory's choice alone not yours mother. Secondly, Rory has never had anything handed to her and she is not the type of person that wants everything handed to her. Rory knows that she has to work hard for everything that she wants and she does just that. She is a strong, independent young woman and I can say that she learned that from me. I'm proud if she is like me, well with the exception of a few traits. Finally, Rory is not with Logan anymore. If at some point in her life she wants to get back together with them than that's fine. I will support her. Rory right now is busy chasing her dream and Logan would only impede that process. There, I think that's all I need to say."

"I was just simply telling her of how great her life could be if she married Logan." Emily replied.

"Really? Just like how great my life would be if I married Christopher? You are doing to Rory that you did with me and Christopher. I chose not to marry him but that never stopped you from trying to pair us up. Chris and I are never meant to be together. You have to learn to let people live their own lives mother and not your twisted fantasy of what their life should be." Lorelai yelled.

"I haven't tried to pair you and Christopher together in a long time." Emily said coldly.

"Yes, you're correct but it took you years to stop. Hell, you even broke Luke and me up the first time because of Christopher. You just stopped recently trying to pair Chris and I together. You started the whole thing when I was sixteen though. That was so many years of you trying something that would never work and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you put Rory through that."

"You cannot talk to me like that in my house!" Emily screamed.

"Fine, then I'm leaving. Come on Rory," Lorelai said, "Bye Dad, sorry about all of this. Thank you for supporting Luke and I." Lorelai said before walking towards the front door.

"I'm right behind you," Rory said coldly. She stared at her grandmother as she passed her.

Once Rory was out the door, Lorelai turned back towards the dining room and yelled, "By the way, next Friday we will not be here. Luke and I are taking the girls on a little vacation!"

Rory was already in the car when Lorelai made her way to the driver's side. She turned to face Rory, "Sorry about tonight kid. I should have just made some excuse for you not to come. I knew that she was going to do something like this. She tried at graduation but I made her stop. Emily is relentless though." Lorelai said trying to make a joke.

"I'm fine, can we just go home?" Rory asked. "No one can stop Emily."

"Sure, we'll go home." Lorelai said. "I'm going to go by Luke's and get some cheeseburgers if you want that since we didn't really get a chance to eat dinner."

"That sounds good but could you drop me off at the house first?" Rory asked.

"Sure," Lorelai said pulling out of the Gilmore driveway.

* * *

Lorelai pulled up in front of the diner. She had already dropped Rory off at the house and now was going to get their cheeseburgers. She walked into the diner and noticed that it was very slow for this time of the night.

"Oh, Luuukkkkeee!" Lorelai called as she walked through the diner. She sat down at her usual spot at the counter.

Luke emerged from the back at the sound of her voice, "Hey, aren't you back from dinner a little early?" he asked.

Lorelai nodded her head, "Yeah we are back a lot early. I need cheeseburgers and fries to go for Rory and me."

"Okay," Luke said putting in her order with Cesar, "Why are you back so early?"

Lorelai took a deep breath, "Emily was just being Emily tonight. She kept talking about how Rory should have married Logan and how Logan was the perfect guy for Rory. This is the exact same thing that she did to me with Christopher years before she finally gave up."

"How did Rory handle it?" Luke asked.

"She handled it like I would have handled it," Lorelai said grinning.

Luke laughed, "So what does that mean?"

"Emily yelled at Rory and Rory yelled right back at Emily. Rory stood her ground against my mother, I'm oddly proud of her for that."

"You didn't jump into this at all? That doesn't sound like you." Luke replied.

"I tried! I kept trying to distract my mother from yelling at Rory. I knew that tonight she was going to talk to Rory about Logan because she tried at graduation but I kept her from doing it so she decided that tonight would be a good night."

"Ahh distracting, not that sounds like something you would do. How exactly did you try to distract them this time?" Luke asked.

"Well I started off by saying that I have great news and that didn't work. Then I shouted out that we were back together. My mom just told me Lorelai you need to be quiet," she said in her best Emily voice which earned a laugh form Luke, "but my father actually supported the idea. After that I announced that we were all going on a trip together, which didn't work. I also tried distracting them by playing with my food, playing with my silverware and even beating on the table. My dad laughed at the whole thing but mom wasn't happy. She kept glaring my way."

Luke smiled, "How did you finally distract them? I'm just assuming that you were successful in your attempts because you can be very distracting."

"Yeah, I'm quite the distracter. Actually it's funny how I distracted them, I just yelled out that I was pregnant," Lorelai whispered so the few patrons in the diner wouldn't overhear.

Luke's eyes widened, "You're what?" he stammered out.

Lorelai noticed the look on Luke's face, "Oh no, no, I just said that to grab their attention, I'm not really. I needed to say something completely shocking and I guess it's shocking to everyone." She wasn't sure why but she was hurt by Luke's reaction to the fake news. Luke noticed that she appeared somewhat hurt. "I mean there's no way I could be, not really anyways. We've only been back together for a little while so a pregnancy would definitely not be detectable anyways right now."

Luke let out the breath he was holding, "I didn't mean to react like that."

"It's fine Luke, really. I get why you reacted like that. I would act the same way if I really was," Lorelai said reassuring him. "Anyways like I was saying, I said that and it definitely got their attention. Rory yelled at me for drinking wine. I assured them all that I really wasn't and then started telling my mom to basically butt out of Rory's business. Rory hasn't been one to talk about the proposal since it happened and I was waiting for her to talk about it. Yet, my mother comes in demanding answers from her. I told her that she is not going to treat Rory the same way that she treated me all those years. She is not going to make Rory feel bad about herself because she didn't marry the guy that was supposed to, according to Emily. I told her it was all some sick twisted fantasy and then we left."

"Is Rory doing okay now though?" Luke asked.

"She'll be fine. Rory's a strong young woman and she knows that saying no to Logan was the best decision for herself right now and no one is going to change her mind on that. Not even Emily Gilmore." Lorelai said as she grabbed the takeout bags from Luke.

"Wait, why are there two bags? What's all in here?" Lorelai asked looking into the bags.

"I just put some extra fries in there plus a few pieces of pie. I figured Rory was upset about tonight and you probably were also upset so I decided pie would be a great addition."

"You are willingly giving me pie? If I didn't know better I would think that you loved me Luke," Lorelai said before realizing she actually said the word love. She wasn't sure how Luke would react.

Luke smiled and leaned across the counter so he was face-to-face with Lorelai, "I do love you Lorelai. I always have."

"I love you too Luke." Lorelai replied. "I will always love you." Lorelai leaned in and pressed her lips against his, kissing him softly. They continued with the soft kisses for a few minutes before realizing they were still in the diner.

Luke pulled away, "You know, kids would be good."

"Really?" asked Lorelai.

"Really, one day a kid or two would be pretty great." Luke replied.

"I think so too, one day." Lorelai said smiling. Luke smiled back with a huge grin on his face.

They sat there smiling and staring at one another for a few minutes.

"You should probably get that food home to Rory before it gets cold," Luke said pointing to the bags Lorelai still held in her hands.

Lorelai looked down at the bags forgetting they were that for a second, "You're right, Rory is probably starving by now. Are you coming by tonight?"

"I think I will stay here tonight, that will give you and Rory some alone time together. I think you guys both need that since you have spending the majority of your time with me."

Lorelai smiled, "See that's exactly why I love you. You're always thinking about what's best for Rory. I'll see you tomorrow Luke." She turned around and started to walk out the door.

"See you tomorrow Lorelai." Luke said. He watched her climb into her jeep and start to drive back towards her house. Once Lorelai was out of his sight, he began his process for closing the diner. Luke had one of the biggest grins on his face as he thought about his conversation with Lorelai. They had both finally said I love you to one another and even talked about future kids together. Luke knew that this time everything was going to finally work out between them. They could finally be together and have a life together.

* * *

**Next chapter or two will be the trip they are taking together. **

**Thanks for reading and leaving reviews! I really appreciate them!**

**Please leave a review with your opinion on this story. They really do help me to write the story.**


	13. Family Vacation Part One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of the songs by The Bangles or The Bangles themselves. I use a few of their songs in this story but I don't own them.**

* * *

Lorelai and Rory sat in the diner on the Thursday afternoon that April was supposed to arrive. Lorelai went to the inn early that morning so she could take the afternoon off to prepare for their trip that would take place the next day.

"You don't have to go back to the inn at all day?" Luke asked as he refilled Lorelai's coffee cup for the third time since she walked into the diner.

"Nope, I'm completely free all afternoon so I can use the time to pack." Lorelai replied.

"You haven't started packing yet?" Luke asked in disbelief.

Lorelai smiled innocently, "Nope."

"Seriously Lorelai?!" Luke yelled.

"Hey, Rory hasn't started packing either!"

"That's because you wouldn't let me. You insisted that it would be a whole lot better to pack at the very last minute because we could spend all afternoon packing." Rory chimed in.

"I'm your mother, you're not supposed to rat me out. We are supposed to team up against Luke. What happened to girl power?"

"Girl power went out the window when you unpacked me entire suitcase." Rory replied.

"You unpacked her entire suitcase?" Luke asked.

"I cannot confirm or deny that," Lorelai said grinning. Lorelai laughed as Luke shook his head.

Luke looked up as he heard the diner door open. Lorelai and Rory both turned around on their stool to see who was entering the diner. They noticed that it was Anna and April that walked into the diner. Luke walked over to greet Anna and April.

"Hey April, Anna," Luke greeted as he hugged April. Anna greeted Luke with a small hug as well.

"Hey Dad," April replied. The three stood around awkwardly before April looked around and noticed Lorelai and Rory watching them.

"Hey Lorelai, Rory!" April shouted running over to greet them.

"Hey April," Rory said hugging the girl as she ran up to them.

"Hey April," Lorelai said getting off her stool to hug the young girl. Lorelai looked up and noticed Anna staring at them, "Hey Anna," Lorelai said politely. She still wasn't sure of how Anna felt about her especially after everything that happened.

"Hi Lorelai," Anna said with a bit of an edge to her voice. "Well I really need to get going. Bye April," Anna said hugging April. "I love you. Have fun with your Dad." She said before kissing her daughter on the head.

"Bye Mom," April said as her mother walked out the door. They watched her climb into her car from the diner window.

April sat down on the stools next to Lorelai and Rory. Luke picked up April's belongings from the diner floor and headed towards the curtain.

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to take this stuff upstairs," Luke said gesturing. All three girls nodded in response.

"So April, I'm happy that we are all going on this trip together," Lorelai said.

April smiled at Lorelai, "Me too. I'm glad you and my dad are back together."

"Me too," Lorelai said smiling as Luke come out from behind the curtain.

"What?" asked Luke now noticing that all three of them were smiling at him. "What are you three staring at?"

"You are just so pretty Lucas." Lorelai teased causing April and Rory to start giggling while Luke rolled his eyes, "Get used to this Luke because soon you will be trapped with us on this trip, Luke Danes vs. Lorelai, Rory and April. You get to spend almost a whole week with your three favorite people."

"Well I see Rory and April but who is this third favorite person that will be joining us?" Luke joked.

Lorelai gasped, "You jerk." She said playfully punching his arm. Luke just laughed and pretended to be hurt by her punch. "You better be glad that I have to leave now. I really should get started on that packing."

"You haven't started packing yet?" April asked in the same manner that Luke had before; with the same expression and all.

Lorelai stood in amazement of how much April reminded her of Luke at that exact moment, "Oh my-gosh, she's seriously a mini-you. Same expression and everything," she exclaimed.

"If there's one thing you know about Lorelai, it's that she doesn't pack until the very last minute apparently." Luke said turning towards April.

"How do you know make sure you have everything you need?" April asked.

"She packs everything that she may ever need in her life, even though half of the stuff is impractical." Rory explained.

"Lorelai, please only pack the things you need. You don't need that much stuff." Luke said.

Lorelai thought about it for a minute. "I cannot make any promises. By the way what are we driving in? I'm sure we cannot all fit in your truck."

"We could just take your jeep or we can take both vehicles." Luke suggested.

"Both might be best."

"Mom, seriously we need to get home and pack now!" Rory said already heading to the door.

"Just one minute," she said leaning over the counter, "Kiss," she said smiling at Luke.

Luke placed a quick kiss on her lips considering they were in the diner, "Now go home and pack Crazy Lady. We will bring dinner over later."

Lorelai smiled, "Right away Burger Boy. Bye April, see you two later!" she said heading out the door to join Rory who was waiting on the sidewalk in front of the diner.

* * *

Hours later, Lorelai and Rory were at the house blaring The Bangles while packing. Lorelai and Rory were both up in Lorelai's room packing. Rory had already finished with her packing and now was trying to help her mother, who was dancing and singing along to the cd.

_"It's just another manic Monday, I wish it were Sunday that's my fun day, my I don't have to run day…" _Lorelai sang at the top of her lungs while dancing around. She was not really packing at all. While dancing and singing Lorelai grabbed a few clothing items including one of her bathing suits and threw them haphazardly into her suitcase.

"Mom, seriously let's pack." Rory yelled over the music.

"Aww, come on dance with your dear mother," Lorelai said grabbing Rory's hands and attempting to make her dance. Rory finally gave in and began jumping and dancing around the room with her mother. After a little while, they both collapsed laughing on the bed. They were still laughing when Luke walked into the bedroom with April trailing along behind him.

"This is what you call packing?" Luke asked over the music.

Lorelai scrambled out of bed and quickly turned down the music a little, "Duh, everyone knows you need good packing music but the problem with that is when you have good packing music you get distracted and it turns into dancing and laughing. This is how Rory and I pack all the time. It takes forever but I love it."

"I see that you got a lot of packing done," Luke said sarcastically since nothing was really packed at all. "The food is waiting downstairs, I just brought cheeseburgers from the diner."

"Ooh great! Thanks Luke," Rory said rushing out of the room to eat. "Come on April, let's eat."

"Okay, can you tell me about Yale while we eat?" April asked.

"Sure!" Rory replied before rushing downstairs with April behind her.

* * *

Luke and Lorelai stood in her bedroom just staring at one another when Lorelai noticed that the song _Eternal Flame _had started playing.

"Ooh I love this song!" Lorelai shouted as she rushed to turn the music back up. "Dance with me Luke?" she asked shyly walking over towards him.

"In here? You know I don't really dance Lorelai."

"You danced with me at Liz's wedding, our first dance together." They both smiled as they remembered the first time they danced together. "Dance with me again Luke."

Luke grabbed her hands and pulled her closer. They began to sway across the room as the music played in the background. Lorelai placed her head on Luke's shoulder as he pulled her across the room slowly. Lorelai began to sing softly into Luke's ear while they were dancing. Luke looked down at her singing and smiled. As the song ended and another one began, Luke pulled her into a sweet kiss.

Luke broke away and smiled down at Lorelai, "You know your singing voice is actually pretty good."

Lorelai blushed, "Thank you."

"I love you."

"I love you too. Now let's go eat!" Lorelai said grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the bedroom.

Luke laughed, "Is that all you think about?"

Lorelai smiled back at him, "You know me so well."

* * *

After dinner, Luke went upstairs with Lorelai to help her finish packing for their trip. Since Rory was already packed, she stayed downstairs with April. The two girls were in Rory's room. Rory was checking over her list making sure she packed everything she remembered too. She noticed that April was checking out her book collection.

"You know you can borrow any books that you want too April," Rory said.

"Really?" asked April.

"Yeah, take whatever you want. I don't mind."

"I might but I'm more into science books. I really like reading those."

"Oh well I don't think I have many of those, sorry." Rory said apologizing.

"It's fine. I have plenty packed to take with me on this trip in case I need any reading material. I like to read before bed anyways."

Rory smiled, "Me too. See this bag here?" Rory said holding up a small bag. April nodded. "This contains my books that I want to read or re-read. So I'm taking these with me to the cabin."

April walked around in Rory's room admiring her Yale posters and music collection. Rory couldn't really think of anything else to talk about since April was much younger than she was.

April turned to Rory, "So do you have a boyfriend?" she asked.

"Umm no I don't, not anymore anyways," Rory replied.

"What happened?" April asked but noticed the pained expression on Rory's face. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want too. I was just curious."

"No, it's fine. I just haven't really talked about it since it happened. That's all. We were together for a while but we did not want the same things. I got an internship to The New York Times and he was moving to California so we split up."

"The New York Times?" April asked astonished. "That's so cool! You get to live in New York!"

"Yeah, I do. I still have to find a place up there but my grandparents are supposed to help out with that." Rory replied.

"When are you moving there?"

"Towards the end of the summer, I'll probably go up there a week before I begin the internship so I can get used to the area."

"Awesome. I've always wanted to go to New York." April stated.

"Well maybe you can come visit me one day. My mom and Luke could probably bring you up there one weekend." Rory suggested.

"That would be great."

"What would be great?" Lorelai asked from the doorway. Luke was standing directly behind her.

"I was just telling April about moving to New York and she said that she had never been. I just suggested that she could visit me one day maybe with you and Luke." Rory told her mother.

"April's right; that does sound great, right Luke?" Lorelai asked looking over her shoulder at Luke.

"Right," he agreed. "April, I think it's time we head back to the apartment. We are getting up early to leave."

"Okay Dad," April said walking out of Rory's room.

Lorelai walked them both towards the front door, "What time are you going to be here in the morning?"

"I'm thinking around 6:00. That way we can get an early start and have the day to get settled into the cabin." Luke replied.

Lorelai nodded then gave Luke a quick goodbye kiss, "Alright then, see you tomorrow. Bye April!" Lorelai shouted as the father and daughter pair were walking back to the truck. She waved as they began to drive off. Once they were out of the driveway, Lorelai turned to go back into the house where she was greeted by Rory.

"Whoa, don't sneak up on me like that," Lorelai exclaimed.

"Sorry, didn't mean too. Are you all finished packing?" Rory asked.

"Not completely, I still have a few things to pack. We almost finished packing but Luke said he needed to get April back to the apartment so I'm going back up to finish now. Want to come with?" Lorelai asked.

Rory shrugged her shoulders. "Sure." She said as they headed back upstairs to finish Lorelai's packing.

* * *

The next morning, true to their word, April and Luke arrived at Lorelai's house at 6:00. Luke and April drove up to see Rory and Lorelai sitting on the porch swing. Rory was resting on Lorelai's shoulder while Lorelai was smiling widely at the sight of Luke. Luke got out of the truck and walked towards Lorelai.

"I brought coffee." Luke said holding out a cup to her, "This one is for Rory."

"Thanks Luke," Lorelai nudged Rory off her shoulder, "Hey, Luke's here and he brought coffee," she said waving the cup under Rory's nose.

Rory sat up off her mom's shoulder and grabbed the coffee.

"Is everything already loaded up or do you need help?" Luke asked Lorelai.

"Take a look for yourself; everything is in the Jeep already." Lorelai said pointing towards the Jeep which was packed with bags.

"Jeez Lorelai, how many bags did you pack? You did not have this much stuff when I left last night. I thought you were done after I helped you."

"I found more that I needed to pack; I just like to be prepared." Lorelai looked back at Luke's truck and noticed April was asleep, "So she's not an early riser either?" Lorelai asked pointing to April.

Luke laughed, "Not really. I told her she could go back to sleep in the truck then she could go to sleep once we get there."

"Well I guess we should get on the road then. Come on Rory, let's go." She said helping her daughter up off the swing. Rory leaned on Lorelai all the way to the Jeep. Luke followed them over in case they needed help. Once they were both in the Jeep, Luke leaned in the window and gave Lorelai a quick peck on the lips. Luke climbed back into his truck and led the way for Lorelai to follow him.

An hour later, they arrived at the cabin. Lorelai parked her Jeep beside Luke's truck and hopped out taking a look around the outside of the cabin.

"It's beautiful Luke," Lorelai said walking towards Luke.

"It really is," Luke said wrapping his arm around Lorelai, "Well let's get everything inside."

* * *

Lorelai nodded as she walked to the jeep to start unpacking the bags. Rory climbed out and helped her. Luke and April grabbed their bags and headed inside with Lorelai and Rory quickly following them. Luke showed the girls to their room. They were going to be sharing a room for the weekend. Both girls said that sharing a room would be fun because it would allow them to bond.

"So this room will be our room," Luke said as he entered the bedroom. Lorelai ran over and jumped on the bed. She threw herself back on the pillows and sighed.

"Comfy bed," she said turning to look at Luke.

"Don't get too comfortable, we still have bags to bring inside."

"Hmm, but I'm tired and this bed is soooooooo comfortable," Lorelai said dramatically.

"You can sleep as soon as we bring all the bags inside. Now come on," Luke said pulling Lorelai up out of the bed. He held her hand as he led her out of the room. Lorelai was pouting the entire time. As they were coming out of the bedroom, April and Rory passed.

"What's wrong with her?" Rory asked.

"I told her to bring the bags inside but she just wants to sleep." Luke explained.

"You're the man, you're supposed to bring all the bags in while I stay inside and sleep." Lorelai said to Luke.

"Luke's right, you should help carry the bags in. I have to carry my bags in." Rory said.

"Yeah and I'm carrying my bags in," April said.

"Hey! You guys are not supposed to team up against me. The girls are supposed to team up against the one guy, I'm offended." Lorelai said pretending to be hurt.

Luke, Rory and April just laughed as they pushed her back outside to get the bags. After a few more trips, all the bags were finally inside and everyone was in their respective rooms unpacking all their belongings.

"Lorelai you do realize that you won't use half this stuff right?" Luke asked watching everything Lorelai pulled out of her bag.

"Who knows, I might find a use for everything; especially for this," Lorelai said as she held up her tiniest string bikini.

"Don't you think that's a little too revealing to wear around the kids?" Luke asked.

"I'm sure I can find some time to wear it," Lorelai said winking at Luke. "Unless you don't want me to wear it."

Luke walked towards Lorelai and pulled her closer, "Oh I want you to wear it but I would much prefer if you wore nothing at all," he whispered in her ear.

"I'll just have to save all that for the bedroom; I don't think the kids need that visual," Lorelai teased. She placed a quick peck on his lips before turning away to unpack everything else. Luke rolled his eyes. After she was finished unpacking, Lorelai went to find the girls room.

"You guys all unpacked?" Lorelai asked walking into their room. Luke quickly followed Lorelai into the room.

"Yep," they answered in unison.

"Already talking in unison, I don't think you two need to spend much more time together. You two are too much alike already." Lorelai said joking. Both girls laughed. "Seriously by the end of this trip you guys are going to be like some freaky twins or something."

"Hey, it will be like the twins in your dream," Rory said. Lorelai smiled as she remembered the dream.

"What dream?" April asked.

"Well one time, a long time ago before we even started dating; I had a dream that your dad and I were married and I was pregnant with twins." Lorelai explained.

"Wow twins, you would be so fat," April said laughing.

"April!" Luke said.

"It is fine Luke, that's the same exact thing Rory said when I told her. That's all you guys are concerned with, how fat I get if I were to have twins."

"You'll still be beautiful to me," Luke said looking at Lorelai. Lorelai smiled and leaned over to kiss Luke. Just as they were about to kiss, they were hit by a pillow.

"Who did that?" Lorelai asked turning to face the girls.

She grabbed the pillow off the ground ready to throw it. April and Rory both pointed at one another laughing. Lorelai quickly grabbed another pillow off one of the beds and threw one pillow at each of the girls. They both squealed as the pillows flew by their heads but didn't hit them. April quickly threw a pillow at Lorelai and ended up hitting her in the back. Luke slipped out of the room as the pillow fight got underway. After several minutes of throwing and hitting one another with pillows, all three girls collapsed onto one bed. They lay there laughing until Lorelai speaks,

"You guys teamed up against me, so not fair."

"Aww poor baby," Rory teased.

Lorelai noticed that April was slowly beginning to close her eyes, "Are you tired April?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to take a nap." April said walking over to her bed now.

"Okay, well I will leave you two to take naps or whatever you are going to do Rory," Lorelai said leaving the room in search for Luke. Rory stayed behind in the room with April.

* * *

Lorelai walked through the cabin and saw Luke moving around in the kitchen. She walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around him.

"Hey, why did you disappear into here?" Lorelai asked.

Luke turned around to face her, "You girls looked like you were having fun so I was going to leave you to it. Where are April and Rory anyways?" he asked.

"April is taking a nap and Rory is probably reading by now or something. I just came to find you," Lorelai said smiling.

"You found me," Luke said leaning down to place a kiss on her lips. He placed his hands at the back of her head pulling her in even closer. Lorelai moaned softly against his mouth as Luke moved to deepen the kiss. They broke apart when they heard someone behind them.

"Do not make me get another pillow," Rory joked as she walked into the kitchen.

Lorelai turned around to face her daughter, "So you were the one that threw the first pillow. I should have known. You are the evil one. I always knew the one day you would succumb to the evil side. Poor April has to share a room with you."

"You're evil too!" Rory pointed out.

"Yes but everyone already knows that so it's not surprising. Luke, did you bring any food with you?" Lorelai asked turning back to face Luke.

"There are few things that I brought for lunch but we really need to go to the store to stock up on supplies for the rest of the trip. I know how to two of you eat. I guess we will have to wait for April to wake up to go to the store."

"I could stay here with April if you two want to go to the store," Rory said.

"Yeah, we could go to the store and get everything, that way we can just have the afternoon to relax or whatever you want to do." Lorelai said.

"Are you sure you don't mind staying here?" Luke asked Rory.

"We'll be fine. I think I can manage to watch April." Rory replied.

"Then it's settled. We will go to the store together but first I'm going to change. It is getting way too hot." Lorelai said as she disappeared into the bedroom. Luke grabbed his keys and waited for Lorelai to come out of the bedroom.

After a few minutes, Lorelai came out with a completely different outfit on. She was now wearing short blue jean shorts that accentuated her long legs and a blue tank top. She noticed Luke's eyes on her as she walked towards him. "You like?" she whispered as she got closer. She noticed that Rory had left the room while she was changing.

"Oh I like. I just don't know if I should let you out of the house like this."

"Why? Are you going to be jealous if other guys happen to take notice of this outfit?" Lorelai teased. Luke nodded. "Just know that you are the only guy that I want. Just remember whose bed I will be in tonight. You are the only guy that I want for all of my life."

"and you are the only woman I want for all my life," Luke replied with a smile.

"I better be." Lorelai winked as she dragged Luke out of the house and towards his truck.

* * *

Later that night after dinner was eaten and everyone was settled in, the group decided to all settle down on the couch to watch a movie. Halfway through the movie, Luke looked over and noticed Rory and April were both already fast asleep and Lorelai was close to being asleep. He carefully picked up April and carried her to her bed. After lying April down, he woke up Rory and led her to the bedroom as well. Lorelai went ahead and climbed into bed while Luke was helping the girls to bed. Luke walked into the bedroom to find Lorelai sitting up in bed waiting for him. Luke changed his clothes and climbed into bed beside her. Lorelai turned to face Luke.

"I'm really happy that you wanted to bring us out here. I know how you are when it comes to your family." Lorelai said as she laid her head down on Luke's chest.

Luke ran his fingers through her hair, "There's no one else that I would rather share this with besides you three."

"Maybe one day any future kids we may happen to have?" Lorelai asked hopefully even though she knew Luke already said kids would be good.

"Certainly any future kids that we may have." Luke said smiling.

"Well maybe we can start practicing for the whole baby aspect," Lorelai said sitting up and kissing Luke.

"Not with April and Rory here Lorelai."

"Come on, they are at the other side of the cabin. Plus one day if we do have kids, you will have to learn to do things with them in the house. We can be quiet," Lorelai moved on top of Luke. "The door is locked so there will be no interruptions. I made sure of that. Besides it seems like you're more than ready." Lorelai said with a wicked grin on her face.

Luke flipped them over so now he was positioned over her and began to place kisses down her neck. Lorelai sighed softly. "Practice is always great," Luke whispered in her ear that earned a small giggle from Lorelai.

* * *

The next morning, Luke woke Lorelai up so they could get an early start on fishing.

"Hmm, it's too early Luke. The fish are probably still sleeping. Just let me go back to sleep." Lorelai said rolling over to face away from Luke.

Luke leaned over her, "Too much practicing last night left you that tired?" he smirked.

Lorelai turned to face Luke, "Feeling pretty confident about yourself huh?"

"Hmm maybe," Luke said before giving her a quick kiss, "Now get up and get dressed. I'll go wake the girls up."

"Make coffee too!" Lorelai yelled as Luke walked out of the room. She got up and slowly got dressed into her fishing gear she bought. Although she knew that she probably wouldn't do much fishing. She would probably sit back and watch Luke fish.

After getting dressed, Lorelai walked into the kitchen to find Luke, April and Rory all dressed and waiting for her.

"You guys are fast," Lorelai commented as Luke handed her a cup of coffee.

"No, we are normal, you are just that slow." Rory replied.

"It's early, no being mean to mommy." Lorelai warned.

After finishing breakfast and several cups of coffee for Lorelai and Rory they were all ready to head down to the lake. Luke had bought every person their own individual fishing pole for the trip. He took time to teach everyone how to properly cast out their line, which proved to be a bigger task than he thought. April picked it up quickly but Rory took a little more time to teach. He even had to teach Lorelai again since she never went fishing again after the first time he taught her.

An hour passed since they began the actual fishing process and no one had caught anything. Lorelai and April both decided to take a break. They sat down near the lake talking about April's past year in school while Rory continued fishing with Luke. Lorelai and April bonded quickly; they began joking back and forth much like Lorelai always did with Rory. Lorelai listened intently as April explained her love for science and all the experiments she has tried before. April continued to tell her about which college she wanted to go to in the future and the fact that she knew her major was going to be something science-related. Luke watched the pair interacting and smiled at how well Lorelai and April got along. He knew they would get along because Lorelai always got along with everyone. Lorelai noticed Luke watching them and smiled back at him as April continued to talk.

As April was talking, Lorelai was watching Luke and Rory interact. She already knew that they had a great relationship together but now she was able to witness even more how much like a father Luke was to Rory. He acted more like a father than Christopher ever did. Luke had always been there for Rory ever since he met Lorelai. Lorelai noticed how Luke looked at Rory like she was his own daughter. It was the same exact fatherly look that he gave to April. Lorelai knew that one day if she and Luke did have babies of their own that he would be the greatest father.

After a few hours of fishing, the girls started to complain that they were ready for lunch. Luke decided it was time to go inside. Everyone began packing up their fishing equipment and carried it inside. Lorelai stuck around outside while Luke grabbed the cooler that now contained a few fish that proved their success that day.

"Do not even think about naming these fish Lorelai," Luke said when he noticed Lorelai watching him.

"Oh come on Luke, giving them names is fun."

"I'm cooking these fish for dinner so names would not be good."

"You're going to cook Carl for dinner?" Lorelai asked shocked.

Luke rolled his eyes, "You already named one?" Lorelai nodded. "I'm cooking all these fish for dinner, I make sure that you won't get Carl." He promised.

"I don't even know if I want to eat fish for dinner," Lorelai said sticking her tongue out like she was disgusted.

"You'll love it, trust me." Luke said. "After I fix lunch, I have to clean them."

"Gross, I will not be around for that," Lorelai said turning to walk in the house. Luke followed her with the rest of the fishing equipment.

Luke finished fixing the girls lunch and joined them at the table to eat. After lunch was served and eaten, Luke announced that he was going out to clean the fish. Rory announced that she was going to take a nap, leaving April and Lorelai the only two inside.

* * *

Lorelai turned towards April, who was sitting next to her on the couch, "So I was thinking that we could have movie night tonight. Would you like to go with me to the video store to pick out the movie? I will even let you choose the movie, which is a big honor for a first-timer."

April smiled, "Sure. I can pick any movie?" she asked.

"Whatever you want to watch, unless I find out that you haven't seen a certain movie like Pippi Longstocking or Willy Wonka."

"I have seen Willy Wonka but not Pippi Longstocking," April confessed.

Lorelai gasped, "Well then I think we know what movie we are watching tonight. If that is okay with you," she said.

"That sounds good to me."

"Alright, I'm just going to tell your dad that we are going. We are also going to stop by the store to pick up more movie night supplies but I won't tell your dad that part," Lorelai said winking at April. April laughed as Lorelai walked out of the room.

A few minutes later, Lorelai walked back into the room, "Alright April, you ready to go?" April nodded as she got off the couch to follow Lorelai at the door.

Lorelai and April stopped by the video store to pick up the movie. Luckily, there was one copy left for them to pick up. After renting the movie, they headed off to the store to pick up treats.

"So what exactly do you buy for movie night?" April asked.

"Pretty much anything that is really sweet or full of sugar but since your dad is joining us we will pick up a few healthy options. Plus, I'm sure Luke will not like it if I try to pump you full of sugar so we can pick up some fruits and veggies. What's your favorite junk food?" Lorelai asked as they pushed the buggy through the aisles.

"I like smores," April said.

"Then we are definitely getting ingredients for smores. I also think we need ice cream, whipped cream for the ice cream, red vines, cookies, pop-tarts and popcorn. We have some junk food at home. Ooh plus some frozen pizzas, they make movie night."

"You're going to eat all of this in one night?" April asked confused.

"We will definitely try. Now is there anything else you want?" Lorelai asked as they were close to finishing their shopping.

"What about chips and soda?" April asked.

"Great idea! Let's go pick some up." Lorelai said heading off towards the chips.

After selecting a few varieties of chips, Lorelai and April headed up towards the cash registers. As their purchases were being rung up, an older lady came up behind them.

"Your daughter is just lovely," the woman commented pointing towards April.

"Oh…umm….thank you," Lorelai said glancing at April nervously.

"She looks just like you, she definitely has your hair," the woman continued.

Lorelai giggled, "Yeah that's what people say. Well it was nice talking to you but we have to go now. Have a great day." Lorelai said grabbing the bags and heading out the door with April following. As they got back into the jeep Lorelai turned towards April, "Sorry if that was weird for you, I just really didn't know what to say once she assumed I was your mother. Not that the idea is crazy or anything because I really like you, you're a great kid but I just didn't want you to think I was trying to take over as your mother." Lorelai rambled on.

"It's fine Lorelai; I can see why she would have assumed that. I'm okay with it," April said with a reassuring smile.

Lorelai smiled back, "Okay just making sure. Now let's head back to the cabin and try to sneak this stuff past your father."

* * *

They arrived back home and attempted to sneak all the bags by Luke but unfortunately he was sitting in the living room when they walked in.

"What all did you guys buy?" Luke asked when he noticed the bags in their hands.

"Oh you know, just some movie night stuff, since someone decided to put stuff back yesterday when we were shopping, very sneaky by the way mister." Lorelai said brushing past Luke into the kitchen.

"What movie did you get for tonight?" Rory asked.

"Only a classic movie, tonight ladies and gentleman we are introducing April to the wonderful world that is Pippi Longstocking." Lorelai announced waving the movie in the air.

"Ooh Pippi!" Rory squealed. "I love it."

"That movie again?" Luke complained.

"Yes, that movie because April informed me today that she has never seen it so I have to introduce her to it. Everyone should know about Pippi. I introduced you to it, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Luke replied.

"Okay Danes, get your butt in the kitchen and get to cooking!" Lorelai demanded, "Because soon I will be very hungry, so cook!"

* * *

Later that night, after dinner was eaten and dishes were cleaned, Lorelai and Rory arranged all the junk food on the table in front of them. Lorelai quickly explained movie night rules to April but told her that she was willing to bend a few rules since they were on vacation. They all squeezed onto the couch while Lorelai started the movie.

As the movie started, Lorelai and Rory began to sing along with the opening credits. Luke and April both smiled at the sight of the two singing along. Luke made sure that April didn't eat too much junk during the movie. He made sure that she ate some of the veggies that Lorelai had bought that day. As for Lorelai and Rory, he couldn't do much to squelch their eating habits. April wasn't used to eating as much junk food as Lorelai and Rory so she gave up halfway into the movie. Lorelai and Rory polished off most of the food Lorelai had bought earlier that day before the movie was over.

* * *

Once the movie ended, April and Rory both went straight to bed. Luke and Lorelai cleaned up all the mess and turned off the movie. After making sure all the food was thrown away or put up, Lorelai suggested that they go sit outside and talk for a little while. Luke thought it was a great suggestion and led Lorelai outside. They sat in the porch swing together with Lorelai's head on Luke's shoulder.

"So today at the store, something funny happened." Lorelai said.

Luke looked down at her, "Oh yeah, what happened?"

"This lady came up to us and told me how beautiful my daughter was. She actually thought April was my daughter. She told me that April looked just like me and we even had the same hair."

"Well what did you say?" Luke asked.

"I just said thank you, I wasn't sure what else to say. After we left, I told April that I wasn't trying to be her mom or anything just to make sure she wasn't offended by people thinking I was her mom. April completely understood though saying that she knew why people thought I was her mother." Lorelai explained.

"I can see why people would think that. April would never think that you were trying to be her mother." Luke said.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Lorelai sat up to look Luke directly in the eyes, "I have been thinking about something lately Luke." She confessed.

"What is it?" Luke asked nervously.

"I was thinking how great it is since we have been back together. I enjoy all the time that we have spent together recently including all the nights that you have spent at the house. So I was thinking that if you want too then I would love for you to move back into the house." She was now holding Luke's hand in hers. "I know that it might not happen right away because when we get back you will have April but once April is back with her mom then maybe you could move in. Not that I don't want April at the house, I just don't have a bed or anything for her." Lorelai rambled on nervously.

"Lorelai, calm down, I know what you mean. I would love to move back into your house." Luke said smiling.

"No, not my house, our house, it has been our house since we renovated everything together. Would you move back into our house Luke?" Lorelai asked.

"You do realize how ridiculous that sounds right? Asking me to move back into our house," Luke laughed. Lorelai nodded while laughing. "Like I said before I would love to move back into our house."

"Then it's settled, you're moving back!" Lorelai squealed as she leaned in to kiss Luke. They kissed for a few minutes before realizing the kissing was getting too heavy to be an outdoor activity when the girls were right inside.

Lorelai settled back down and laid her head back down on Luke's shoulder as they talked about their plans to move Luke back into their house.

* * *

**Finished with another chapter! Next chapter will be more of their trip! Tell me if there is anything that you would like to see them do on vacation. Ideas are always great!**

**Please leave a review! I love them like Lorelai loves coffee, so please feed my addiction, hahahaha.**


	14. Family Vacation part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls**

Two days later, Luke suggested they all take a hike in the woods that surrounded the cabin.

"A hike Luke? Really?" Lorelai asked sitting on the bed in their room watching Luke get dressed.

"Yes Lorelai, a hike. It will not be that bad." Luke replied, "I'm sure if you give it a chance, you could have some fun."

"Do you know Rory and I at all? We are the type of people that do not hike."

"Rory is actually pretty excited for this as is April. They are both in their room getting ready now just like you need to be doing."

"You are slowly turning my kid against me." Lorelai gasped, "Is that what this trip was, a giant set-up to turn Rory against me? Are you going to turn Rory into a mini-you? You already have April who is exactly like you do you need my kid too?"

Luke held his hands up, "You caught me. That was my evil plan all along. I'm going to take Rory away from you," he teased.

"Oh you will never win at that game. Rory will never turn fully against me. I was the one that introduced her to coffee. I also gave birth to her; I would like to see you do that."

Luke rolled his eyes, "Just get up and get dressed. If we are going hiking, we need to get out there before it gets too hot outside."

Lorelai groaned, "I still do not want to go hiking."

"You will have fun, I promise. Just give it a chance." Luke said.

"I will go and try to have fun if you promise to do something I want you to do," Lorelai said mischievously.

"That all depends on what you want me to do."

"Oh don't worry; it will not be anything too gross, well maybe not. Anyways, I will not make you do anything you are uncomfortable doing. I just have to think about it more."

"If I agree, will you get dressed and go hiking with us?" Luke asked. Lorelai nodded. "Fine then I agree to do whatever you want me to do. Just get up and get dressed." He said pulling her up off the bed.

An hour later, everyone, including Lorelai, we're all dressed and ready for their hiking adventure. Luke carried the backpack with their hiking supplies they would need. April carried a few plastic containers in which she wanted to collect different specimens of bugs that were in the area. Rory also had her own backpack just in case they needed more supplies; she wanted to be ready for any outcome. After double-checking to make sure they had everything. The group headed out the door for their hike.

Luke led the way since he was familiar with the area. As he led them along a clear path, Luke told stories about the time he spent out here as a kid with his family. As they came to a clearing in the woods, Lorelai decided it was time for a small break. Lorelai sat down on a log.

Luke came and sat down next to her, "So are you enjoying hiking so far?" he asked.

"Well, I like spending time with you, Rory and April, so I guess you could say I'm enjoying it." Lorelai replied. Lorelai looked at Luke as a smug grin spread across his face, "Don't you dare say it," she warned playfully.

Luke turned to face her, "I told you so."

Lorelai smiled then rolled her eyes before turning back to watch the girls, "Rory and April seem to be getting along well. That's not really a surprise though." She said as she watched the girls. April was collecting different specimens of bugs that she wanted to investigate while Rory looked on in disgust. Rory listened to everything April was saying but refused to touch the bugs no matter how much April insisted.

"Yeah they really do." Luke replied. "I think I'll go help April since Rory is too scared to touch the bugs."

"Well she should be scared, bugs are gross." Lorelai replied before Luke walked away. Lorelai watched as Luke took over Rory's position with helping April.

Rory walked over and sat down next to Lorelai. She watched as Luke knelt down to help April find her bugs. Rory watched as Luke smiled and chatted with April, much like he always did with her. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealously seeing Luke bond with April. Luke was always there for her when she was little and used to help her out on everything but seeing him doing the same for April made her feel slightly jealous. This trip showed her just how much Luke had grown to know April and bond with her like a father should. She always thought of Luke as a father-figure in her life since Christopher was never around but now she had to share him with someone who was really his daughter and she was truly upset. She would never be Luke's daughter only April was lucky enough to have her as a dad.

Lorelai looked over at Rory and noticed that she had a small frown on her face. She nudged Rory with her knee, "Hey what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine." Rory said.

"Rory." Lorelai warned.

"I'm okay Mom."

"Listen, I know you better than I know myself. I know when something is wrong with you. Tell me what's wrong."

"Just drop it." Rory said as Luke and April walked over to log where they sat.

Lorelai turned to Rory, "We will talk about this later," she whispered. Lorelai stood up to greet Luke and April as they walked up.

"What's that about?" Luke whispered.

Lorelai shook her head, "Something's wrong with Rory and I'm not sure what it is. I'm going to talk to her about it later though. Don't worry."

Luke nodded. "I was thinking we could head back to the cabin now for lunch, if you are ready."

Lorelai pretended to think, "Well let's see. Lunch equals food and I am always ready for food. So let's head back to the cabin so you can make me lunch Lucas."

"Don't start with that again." Luke muttered.

Lorelai laughed, "Come on, let's go back." She said pushing Luke ahead so he could lead the way back.

Luke and April quickly fell into the leader's position as they walked back to the cabin. Lorelai and Rory feel behind them. Lorelai noticed Rory was beginning a lot quieter than usual. She tried to start conversations with her but all the conversations fell short. Lorelai focused her attention on Luke and April in front of her. Luke listened on as April chattered about her friends and their plans for the summer. April talked about how she had planned to spend time with her friends after she left Stars Hollow. Lorelai looked over and noticed that Rory still had a small frown on her face as she watched April and Luke. Suddenly, Lorelai had an idea about what was wrong with Rory and knew that she would confront her about it later.

Once they got back to the cabin, Luke made them all lunch. Rory ate her lunch in silence while everyone else chatted about their hike and when they would return to Stars Hollow. After lunch, Rory excused herself to go to her room while Luke and April said they were going to head down to the lake for a swim.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Luke asked as he was getting dressed to head down to the lake.

"As much as I would love to go with you two and see you in your bathing suit," she winked, Luke blushed. "I really need to see what's going on with Rory. I think I have an idea but I'm not completely sure. I just need to talk to her and sort everything out."

"What do you think is wrong with her?"

"I will talk to you about it later. I need to talk to her first though."

Lorelai and Luke walked out of their room and found April in the living room waiting on them.

"Cute suit April," Lorelai complimented.

"Thanks, you're not coming with us?" April asked.

Lorelai shook her head, "No, I'm going to hang back here with Rory, let you and your dad have some alone time together. There are some things I have to talk to Rory about anyways. You two have fun though. I will join you guys next time though."

"Well let's get going April," Luke said. He leaned over and kissed Lorelai before leaving out the door with April.

* * *

Once they were out of the cabin, Lorelai walked back into Rory's room she was sharing with April. She stood in the doorway and watched Rory, who was cuddled up in bed reading. Lorelai knocked on the door and walked into the room.

"You ready to talk now?" She asked walking over to Rory's bed.

"I already told you there's nothing to talk about. I'm fine." Rory replied.

Lorelai sat down on the bed next to her, "Okay, I'm going to let you in on something that I thought you already knew about. Let me see, I'm your mother and mothers know things about their kids. I know there is something bothering you right now and you are going to tell me. I think I have an idea about what is bothering you but I want you to be the one to tell me."

"What do you think is wrong?" Rory asked.

Lorelai shook her head, "Nope. I just said that I wanted you to tell me. We can sit here all day but eventually you are going to let me in on what is bothering you. I can help with whatever it is Rory. I can help you through whatever is bothering you."

Lorelai leaned back on the headboard of the bed while she waited for Rory to talk to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Rory tried to focus on her book but eventually leaned back into her mother. Lorelai wrapped her arm around Rory as she began to speak.

"I don't know, it's just that, I guess I feel sort of jealous of April," Rory said. "I feel so stupid for saying that though. I'm jealous of someone who is a lot younger than me. That just sounds crazy. I know that I shouldn't be jealous because there's not much a reason to be jealous but I just am jealous."

"What made you feel this of all the sudden though?" Lorelai asked.

"I was just watching them together today and I was thinking back to when I was little and Luke was always there for us. He was always there to help out when we needed him. Luke built me bookshelves when I needed them, he always fixed things around the house if you asked him, he came to that silly funeral I held for my caterpillar, and he even helped out with that. He never had to do any of those things but he did. I don't know, I guess I just I have been thinking about it lately and he has always been there for us. He is more of a father to me than Dad ever has been. I just see him as a father-figure in my life and now I feel like I might be pushed out of his life since he has April." A few tears managed to escape her eyes as she explained the reasoning for her attitude.

"Aww Rory." She said rubbing her daughter's arm, "Luke would never push you out of his life. He could never even think of that. He told me that you would go and see him over the year that I left Stars Hollow. I love that you see Luke as a father-figure because that means so much to me, especially now. I know that Chris was hardly ever there for you and I don't really know what that was about but Luke was there and Luke will always be there. Luke helped you out for everything because he was truly doing it for you. Luke could never say no to you, just like a true father. Now tell me, wasn't he there for you even when he and I were fighting? I mean every time we fought since we have known each other."

Rory nodded and smiled, "Yeah, he was, like that time when you fought after Jess and I got into that accident. We let me in the diner when he came back from his fishing trip. It didn't matter that you two were fighting because he still gave me coffee when I needed it."

"See that's what I mean. Luke will always be there for you kid. Luke told me that you came to see him over the past year when I wasn't in Stars Hollow. That's something that only a daughter would do Rory. He talked to you during that time like nothing was wrong between the two of us. Whatever happens between Luke and I doesn't matter when you are involved. He will never turn you down or push you away. I bet that he sees you as his daughter too." Lorelai said smiling down at Rory.

"I know that. I just don't know why I felt jealous. I know that Luke loves me. I guess I was just being crazy, a little bit anyways."

"Duh, of course he loves you. I wouldn't be with him if he didn't love you. Plus remember that time he tried to beat up Dean after you guys broke up that one time? Luke was willing to beat up a 16 year old kid because he thought that he hurt you."

Rory started laughing, "Yeah that was pretty funny."

"Pretty funny? It was hilarious. I mean just thinking about Luke trying to beat up Dean cracks me up," Lorelai said laughing. "He was so angry that Dean may have hurt you in some way that is something that a father would do. Plus I think that you got extra chocolate chips in your pancakes that day, which is something he would never do for me and I'm his girlfriend!" Lorelai exclaimed dramatically.

"Aww now are you jealous that I get extra chocolate chips?" Rory asked teasingly.

Lorelai pouted, "Yes I am very jealous."

"Poor mom, Luke loves you too."

"Yeah, he does," Lorelai said smiling. "Also he cried at your graduation party during your speech; don't tell him I told you though."

"Luke crying just like he did at my Chilton graduation, he really is just a big softy isn't he?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, but I only think that you and I and now April get to see that side of him. It's a special side that no one else gets to see." Lorelai replied. "I'm going to miss you so much when you move to New York. What am I going to do without you?"

"Well I can visit sometimes; I'm not too far away. Plus you will have Luke and maybe April sometimes. Also who knows, you and Luke may have kids one day so you may have little Luke's running around the house."

"Just little Luke's no little Lorelai's?" Lorelai asked.

"Fine there can be little Lorelai's as long as you promise not to name them Lorelai. I don't think I need to share that name with a future little sister. Plus people will honestly think you're crazy if you name another kid Lorelai." Rory joked.

"Well there goes my plans, no more Lorelai's."

"So wait, you and Luke are having kids? Or planning on them?" Rory asked.

"We haven't really talked about it but that night we came back from Friday Night dinner when I announced I was pregnant, I told Luke about it and he kind of freaked out but then I told him I was lying. I told him that if would be crazy if I was pregnant since we were just officially back together. Later he said that kids would be good though and I agreed. So someday down the road, kids might be in the plan for us." Lorelai answered.

"That's great Mom." Rory said.

Lorelai and Rory sat on the bed talking about Rory's move to New York and the things they still needed to get done. As they talked about Rory's approaching move away from home, they talk about the memories the house held for the both of them. They talked about the first time they moved in, all their movie nights they held in the house and how Luke had fixed almost everything in their house. They were laughing over memories when Lorelai noticed Luke standing in the doorway watching them.

Lorelai sat up from her position in the bed, "Hey, you guys are back so soon?"

"We have been gone two hours Lorelai." Luke replied.

"Wow, we have laid here talking for two hours, that might be some kind of record for us." She said turning towards Rory.

"No, I think we have talked for longer before," Rory replied.

"True, although two hours is a long time." Lorelai said. "Well come on, let's not hide out in here anymore. Let's go join everyone else." She said pulling Rory up off the bed and dragging her towards the door.

Luke stopped Lorelai to talk to her while Rory went to find April, "Hey is everything okay with Rory?" he asked.

Lorelai smiled, "Everything is fine. We can talk about that later, let's go hang out with our girls right now."

"Our girls?" Luke asked.

"Of course they are our girls. We're together and nothing is going to tear us apart this time. So technically they are our girls."

"I like the sound of that," Luke said pulling her closer to him.

"I do too," Lorelai said before she leaned up and kissed Luke. Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss. Luke wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her as close as possible. Lorelai broke away after a few minutes and leaned her head on Luke's shoulder.

"Now let's go spend time with our girls," Luke said as he led Lorelai down the hall back to the living room. They stopped in the living room as they watched Rory and April laughing together. Lorelai looked up at Luke and smiled before the girls noticed them standing there.

"Are you two just going to stand there and stare at us?" Rory asked.

"Maybe, haven't decided yet." Lorelai replied.

"Actually, what I'm planning on cooking tonight takes a little prep time so I need to go ahead and get in the kitchen." Luke said.

"Yes, go cook the food. The girls and I can watch TV or something." Lorelai said as she walked over to the couch to watch TV. Luke nodded and walked into the kitchen and started to pull out the ingredients for his dinner.

Not long after Luke started preparing dinner, Rory excused herself to go into the kitchen claiming that she wanted to help Luke.

"Hey Luke, mind if I help you?" Rory asked walking into the kitchen.

"You want to help?" Luke asked shocked.

Rory laughed, "Yeah, maybe I can actually learn something. I will have to learn to provide for myself when I move to New York. I will not have a Luke's diner to run to when I'm hungry. If I learn to cook then I won't have to eat out so often."

Luke smiled, "Okay, you can help but just don't tell your mom that you are thinking about ordering take-out less that might be a little too much for her to handle."

Rory started laughing which caused Luke to start laughing as well. Lorelai and April both looked in the direction of the kitchen.

"You guys aren't laughing about me right?" Lorelai asked.

Rory stopped laughing for a minute, "Maybe, maybe not. I'm not telling."

"Hey, no laughing about your favorite mom Rory." Lorelai shouted back. Rory started laughing again.

* * *

Lorelai noticed that every now and then, April would glance up in the kitchen just watching Luke and Rory. Luke was helping Rory with different tasks in the kitchen. Lorelai noticed that he was being very helpful but still laughed when Rory would mess up. Rory would also laugh as she tried cooking different things but would end up freaking out over the smallest things. April continued watching them more instead of watching TV with Lorelai. Lorelai had an idea to get April involved in something other than just watching TV.

"Hey April, come with me to my room. We can give each other a makeover if you are into that." Lorelai said looking down at the young girl.

"Umm sure, that could be fun." April said getting up off the couch and following Lorelai into her room.

April walked into the room as Lorelai was gathering up all her makeup. April sat down on the bed while Lorelai walked into the bathroom and plugged in her straightener.

"Have you ever straightened you hair before April?" Lorelai called out from the bathroom.

"No, I usually just leave it curly."

"Well then that's the first thing that we can do today. Come into the bathroom and we can get started." Lorelai said.

April walked into the bathroom where Lorelai was waiting with the straightening iron in her hand. "Alright missy, you wait here let me go find a chair for you to sit on."

After a few minutes, Lorelai returned to the bathroom with a chair so April could relax while she straightened her hair. April sat down in the chair as Lorelai began parting her hair to straighten it.

"So April, are you having a fun time out here?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, these past few days have been fun." April replied.

Lorelai continued on straightening her hair, trying to start a conversation with April but noticed that she was distracted earlier like Rory was. After she was finishing straightening her hair, Lorelai ran a brush through it before speaking to April.

"So are you liking this hairstyle?"

April ran her fingers through it and smiled, "Yeah it's so much different than before. So what's next for the makeover?" she asked.

"Actually there's something I want to talk to you about. I talked with Rory earlier and now I feel like I need to talk to you, so let's go sit on the bed." Lorelai said walking out of the bathroom. She went and laid against the bedroom much like she did earlier in Rory's room while April came and sat down next to her.

"What did you want to talk about?" April asked.

Lorelai sighed, "This may seem a little odd but earlier I was talking to Rory and she confessed that she was jealous of your relationship with your Dad. I convinced her that there was no reason for her to be jealous of you and Luke but I kind of feel that you may be jealous of Rory. If you're not then I'm just completely acting crazy right now."

"I guess it's not that crazy of a thought. I may be a tiny jealous of Rory. She has known him for so long and I just came into his life a little over a year ago." April said.

Lorelai turned towards April, "I'm going to tell you like I told Rory. There's no reason to be jealous. Luke loves you both so very much. It's true that Luke has known Rory a lot longer but that does not mean he loves her any more than he loves you. If Luke had known about you from the beginning, he would have been there for you whenever you needed him because that is the type of guy he is."

"I know that. I just felt a little jealous right now when they were in the kitchen cooking together." April said.

"Well you could have joined them. They would not have cared but I'm also glad that you were sitting and watching TV with me because I like spending time with you too. Plus I don't really step foot into a kitchen unless I need coffee or food. I cannot cook so it's best if I leave the kitchen alone." Lorelai replied.

"Really, you can't cook?" April asked laughing.

"I cannot cook. I burn everything which is one of the reasons why Luke and Rory are close because we have spent so much time in the diner since we first discovered it. Your dad basically kept us fed all these years. I think I owe him a whole lot for keeping Rory and me alive."

"I guess I really shouldn't be jealous of Rory and my dad." April said.

"No, you shouldn't be but it is a common thing. I mean Rory was jealous of you because you are Luke's daughter and she's not."

"Why would she be jealous that I'm his daughter?" April asked.

"Well honestly, Rory looks to Luke as a father-figure of sorts. You see I had Rory when I was very young, which you probably already knew but I was the one that always took care of Rory. I moved to Stars Hollow when Rory was only one years old. Your dad didn't know about you until a year ago and he has tried to be there for you ever since but Rory's dad was never like that. He hardly ever came by to see her. When Luke came into our lives, he was always there for Rory even though we weren't really good friends at the time. He was the father that Rory never really had. She was just jealous, I think because she doesn't get to be his daughter but you are lucky enough to be his daughter."

"But he loves her too," April said.

"She knows that but I just think that sometimes she wished that Luke was her actual dad."

"Well he is a pretty great Dad," April said.

Lorelai smiled, "Yeah he is. He is very protective too. When you start dating I would watch out because he will try and hurt the guy if he thinks the guy isn't right for you. He did that for Rory."

April smiled, "Really? Dad tried to hurt someone before because of Rory?"

"Yeah, once Rory dated this guy named Dean and the broke up, one morning we were in the diner and Dean just walks by and your Dad runs out of the diner and tries to beat him up. I had to go out and stop him." Lorelai said laughing.

April bust out laughing, "I can't believe he would do that."

"Oh yeah, your dad is willing to do anything for the two of you. So once again, there is no reason for you two to be jealous of one another. He loves you both very much and will always protect you girls. I also want you to know that I'm here for you too. You know for the whole boy advice things and things that are too girly to talk with your dad about. Only if you don't mind talking to me about it because I know that you will probably want to talk to your mom about some things but I'm always here too." Lorelai said pulling April into a hug.

"Lorelai? April? Where are you two?" Luke called out.

"In the bedroom," Lorelai yelled back.

Luke walked into the bedroom to see Lorelai and April sitting on the bed chatting and laughing much like Rory and Lorelai were doing before.

"What are you two doing?" Luke asked.

"Oh you know just girl talk." April answered.

"Yeah, Luke girl talk. That means only for girls so none of your business." Lorelai said sticking out her tongue.

"Whatever you two, dinner is almost ready so I suggest you two come back in here." Luke said turning to walk out the room, "Wait, April is something different with your hair?" he asked stepping back into the room.

"Yeah, Lorelai gave me a small makeover and straightened my hair for me." April answered.

"You and Rory were spending time together so I decided to steal April and spend time with her. So that equated to me straightening her hair." Lorelai answered.

"It looks pretty. Dinner is ready though so come and eat." Luke said walking out of the room.

Lorelai and April climbed off the bed and followed Luke out of the room. They walked into the kitchen where Rory was already setting the table for them. Lorelai helped out by fixing everyone something to drink while April decided to help set the table as well. Luke placed all the food on the table before everyone sat down to eat.

* * *

Later that night after both Rory and April were in bed, Lorelai was lying in bed waiting for Luke to come to bed. Luke came out of the bathroom after his shower and climbed into bed next to Lorelai.

"So what was with Rory today? What did you have to talk to her about?" Luke asked.

"Well she was just a little jealous of the relationship between you and April."

"What?"

"Yeah, she was. I know it sounds silly but I don't know if you know this but Rory has always looked to you as a father-figure and she was just jealous that now you have an actual daughter." Lorelai said.

"That's crazy. She should not be jealous."

"That's what I told her. I'm glad that she sees you as a father-figure because it really shows how a father is supposed to act. I'm guessing that you also see her as sort of a daughter type too. You've always been there for her Luke."

"I do see her like that. I mean I never considered that I would have kids one day but now I have April and thinking about it I have always had Rory. I do really love her like she is my own daughter." Luke confessed.

Lorelai smiled brightly. "I know you do and that's one thing that I love about you. To you Rory isn't just part of the deal you get for dating me but she is actually a person you care deeply for and would do absolutely anything for. You are better to her than Chris ever has been or in my opinion will ever be. She deserves a father like you not Chris."

"Are you going to let me in on what you and April talked about as well?" Luke asked.

"Well funny story. She was actually jealous of your relationship with Rory. You are a very loved man, Mr. Danes." Lorelai joked.

"Why?" Luke asked.

"You just have known Rory a whole lot longer with Rory than April but I explained everything to her about Rory's dad and all of that and she completely understood. I told her that you will always be willing to do anything for her and Rory. Plus I told her that I would do anything for her. I would talk with her about boys since that is really girl talk."

"Should I talk to them about all of this?" he asked.

Lorelai shook her head, "No. I talked to them and they completely understand everything. Don't even mention the whole jealousy thing. They may not even want you to know. So this will be our little secret."

Luke laughed, "Sure, our secret."

"Seal it with a kiss?" Lorelai said grinning.

"Hmm only for you," Luke said leaning over and pulling her in closer for a kiss.

"I can't believe our trip is almost over. We have to leave soon and get back to our normal lives." Lorelai said. "Can we just stay here forever?" Lorelai asked rolling over to face Luke.

"Unfortunately no we can't. We both have businesses to run. We are needed back in Stars Hollow." Luke replied.

"Oh yeah, there's that whole reason for going back. Plus you will be able to move back in soon. I'm ready for that. We can finally live together again."

"That will be great. I can help control your coffee consumption if I live with you." Luke teased.

"You wouldn't do that. You didn't do that when we lived together before and you cannot do it now. I will always drink coffee."

"Sure, but if we do have kids, you will not drink coffee when you're pregnant."

"Gosh, you're already so controlling, I don't know if I want to live with you anymore. I may have to rethink this whole move," Lorelai joked.

"Well maybe I can change your mind," Luke said as he positioned himself above her and placed light kisses on her neck.

Lorelai moaned quietly, "That's definitely a start. Just keep doing that." She angled her head to give him better access to her neck as he kissed and nipped at her skin. His hands roamed down her body slightly lifting her t-shirt up and rubbing the exposed skin right above the waistband of her shorts. "If you promise to do this then you can definitely move back in." Lorelai whispered in his ear before flipping him over and positioning herself on top of him.

"I promise to do whatever you want." Luke said.

Lorelai looked down at Luke and noticed he still work the necklace with her engagement ring on it. She reached down and slid the ring between her fingers. Luke noticed her expression as she played with the ring, she looked a little sad that the ring was still on the necklace.

"Have you thought about this ring any Luke?" she asked quietly.

"Lorelai, I love you and I want nothing more than to marry you. That's all I think about. I want to be with you. I always think about this ring. Although now I think you deserve an even better ring than this one, one that represents just how much better we are now as a couple." Luke said.

"I love you too and I really love this ring. You don't have to propose right now or anytime soon. I just wanted to know that it could still happen for us one day. I know now that it can. That's all I wanted." Lorelai said tearfully. She climbed off of Luke and lay back down beside him. "I do like that ring but if you wanted to get an even cooler ring, I would never object, just so you know." She said winking.

"You're crazy, you know that right?" Luke asked chuckling.

"Yeah, but that's why you love me."

* * *

**End of chapter! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reviewing.**

**Please leave a review!**


	15. Returning Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

* * *

Now that their vacation was over, Lorelai and Rory were walking down the street to Luke's Diner. They arrived back in Stars Hollow yesterday and were fighting about whether or not to go back to Friday Night dinners tomorrow.

"I know things were left bad last time but grandma called me yesterday when we got home and wants us to come back to Friday Night Dinners." Rory said.

"Emily was horrible to her last time and you were not exactly nice to her either." Lorelai said. "Plus she got upset with me too."

"Yeah but I heard grandpa say that he was happy for you and Luke." Rory said.

"That's true. I don't know, let me think about it more." Lorelai said.

"Well she is expecting us tomorrow because I kind of told her that we would definitely be there." Rory said before rushing into the diner, leaving Lorelai standing outside speechless. Lorelai looked through the window and watched Rory take a seat at a table. Rory noticed her mother watching her and waved.

Lorelai stomped inside and rushed over to the table where Rory sat, "Why would you tell her that?" she asked sitting down.

Luke walked over and set their mugs down and filled them with coffee. Luke opened his mouth to speak but Lorelai waved him away. He stood there looking at her wondering what was going on.

"She apologized to me about Logan. She wants us to come so we can talk about New York." Rory said.

"What's going on?" Luke asked.

"Rory told my mother that we would be at her house for dinner tomorrow." Lorelai said.

"Well it is Friday tomorrow, isn't it?" he asked confused.

"Yes, but last time we were there she was her usual Emily self and I don't want to go through that again." Lorelai said.

"Rory just said she apologized." Luke said.

"You guys seriously do not know my mother. She will apologize but half the time it doesn't mean anything."

"Give her the benefit of the doubt Mom," Rory said.

"I agree with Rory," Luke said.

"Once again, you guys team up against me. Hey, where's April?" Lorelai asked.

"Upstairs, she has a cold so she is up there sleeping." Luke said.

"Poor baby, do you need me to get anything for her?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shook her head, "I have everything, thanks though. So your usual for lunch?" Luke asked.

Both Lorelai and Rory nodded. Luke walked off to prepare their orders. Lorelai and Rory chatted about the things they needed to get done before Rory's move to New York. They were planning to go shopping in a few days for items to decorate her apartment that she still didn't have. Richard and Emily were supposed to be working on that, at least they told Rory that they were. After Luke brought their food out, Lorelai and Rory ate their food while still talking about New York. After they were done eating, Lorelai and Rory sat at the table talking and drinking coffee when Lorelai glanced at the diner window.

"Rory, look!" She yelled pointing outside.

"What?" Rory said turning to look outside. "Oh no Mom, we can't."

"But look there's puppies!" She yelled.

"Lorelai, no yelling in the diner," Luke said.

"But puppies!" She yelled now looking at Luke. Lorelai jumped out of her seat and headed out the diner in a hurry.

"We are not getting a puppy!" Rory said following her mother out of the diner, except she was yelling to no one because Lorelai was already outside and in the town square before Rory managed to get up out of her chair.

"That's the fastest she has ever moved," Luke said to himself.

"Who knew she could run that fast?" Miss Patty said aloud.

"Cesar, watch the diner. I will be right back." Luke said walking out of the diner and headed across to the town square.

* * *

Now in the town square, Rory rushed over to where her mother was standing, talking to a dog.

"Rory, look at this one. He's looks so sweet." She said smiling and pointing to a dog in a cage.

"No, we are not getting a dog." Rory said.

"But look at his face. He's so cute and shaggy." Lorelai said. "Plus this lady said that he liked me and that was not very common."

"You cannot have a dog." Rory repeated.

"What's going on?" Luke said as he approached. "Mom is thinking about getting a dog."

"Look, he already loves me." Lorelai said pointing to the dog who was now wagging his tail.

"You do not need a dog Lorelai." Luke said.

"Yeah, remember the other pets that we once had?" Rory asked.

"What other pets?" Luke asked.

"Well there was the hamster," Rory said.

"That hamster was insane! He tried to bite me all the time and that was so not my fault. Plus a dog is so much better than a hamster. Hamsters are really small and just weird. Dogs are cute and loyal companions." Lorelai said defending herself.

"You just tried to give it back to the pet store!" Rory said.

"You really did that?" Luke asked.

"He was insane!" Lorelai yelled.

"Well he should have been a good match for you," Luke joked. Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"You're an idiot. I'm getting a dog." Lorelai said.

"Then there was that turtle from a long time ago." Rory said.

"Okay, in my defense who really thinks that a turtle would make a good pet? They do not do anything. Dogs are fun and cute and this one is the most adorable thing ever." Lorelai said in a baby voice while looking at the dog.

"Mom, you're not the best with animals," Rory said.

"People can change; I swear I can take care of this dog. Plus Luke is moving in soon and he can help me take care of it."

"Oh no, if you do get this dog it is your responsibility," Luke said.

"Come on, it could be practice to see if you can handle something or someone depending on you twenty-four seven if you know what I mean," Lorelai said winking at Luke.

"A dog is not comparable to a baby," Luke said raising his voice.

"Hey, keep your voice down. I do not need all of Stars Hollow to think I'm pregnant at the moment," Lorelai said.

"Okay, I need to get back to the diner now. Rory do not let your mother buy this dog." Luke said walking back across the street to the diner.

"I will take him." Lorelai said to the pet sale person standing beside the dog.

"Mom!" Rory said.

"Shh and saw hello to your new little brother!" Lorelai said picking up the dog and putting him closer to Rory. "Ohh I have to go buy things for him. What do I do with him until I get back from the store?" Lorelai asked.

"We can keep him here for a few hours; the fair will still be going on. We will just tell people that he is already taken. As long as you promise to come back for him." The lady said.

"I promise!" Lorelai said grabbing Rory's hand. "Come on, we have shopping to do!" She said dragging Lorelai across the town square and back to their house.

* * *

Three hours later, Lorelai and Rory were now at home surrounded by various dog toys. They were sitting on the couch while their new addition sat in front of them staring at them.

"Okay, so absolutely no interest in any of the toys I bought." Lorelai said.

"Yep."

"He doesn't like any of them, I mean what kind of dog does that? Also he is not a fan of bones."

"Nope."

"I'm going to name him Paul Anka." Lorelai said.

"I guess it fits him plus his name right now is Cocoa and that's not a great name for a dog."

"Exactly! I don't know why he gets so scared when you drink something though," Lorelai said. "I mean he seriously gets freaked out."

"I know, he just stared at me the whole time I tried to drink coffee." Rory said.

They continued sitting on the couch staring at the future to be named Paul Anka when they heard the front door open. Lorelai got up to greet Luke and April. They were supposed to come over tonight to cook dinner and spend some time together.

"Hey Luke, April, I have someone that I would like you to meet." Lorelai said. "Follow me to the living room," Lorelai said.

Luke took a look around the living room and noticed no one was there besides Rory, "You want us to meet Rory? I'm afraid that I already know her. Are you feeling well Lorelai?" Luke asked.

"What? No, I don't want you to meet Rory because of course you already know her. I want you to meet," she said turning around. "Wait, where did he go?" she asked looking at Rory.

"I don't know! You got off the couch and he ran somewhere. I'm not sure where he went." Rory said.

"Where who went?" April asked.

"Paul Anka," Lorelai said.

"Paul who?" Luke asked.

"Paul Anka, my new dog," Lorelai said smiling brightly.

"Wait, you bought that dog today?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded enthusiastically, "I did and we bought all of this," she said gesturing to the pile of dog toys in the living room, "but he hates everything I bought."

"He hates all the toys?" April asked.

"Yeah no interest at all, he is also scared of a lot of things, like popcorn, paperback books, and cds." Lorelai said looking around for the dog.

"Plus he doesn't like when people drink anything," Rory said creeping around the room trying to find the dog.

"A-ha! I found him," Lorelai said pointing towards the kitchen where Paul Anka was now eating.

"Jeez, are you sure you can take care of this dog?" Luke asked.

"Don't mention the hamster or the turtle again. I got this. I can take care of the dog." Lorelai said.

"Fine, I guess I should start cooking." Luke said turning to walk towards the kitchen. Lorelai grabbed him before he could move any closer to the kitchen.

"No, stay here for right now. Let him eat in peace. He gets self-conscious about his eating. It's been a long day for us," Lorelai explained.

"So what am I supposed to do until then?" Luke asked.

"Just wait here, he will be done eating soon." Lorelai responded. "So April are you feeling any better?"

April nodded, "Yes, I am. Dad has been taking great care of me and I feel a whole lot better than I did this morning."

Lorelai smiled at Luke, "Great! Oh look he is done eating now; you may cook if you would like." Lorelai said ushering Luke into the kitchen. April sat down on the couch next to Rory and they began talking and watching TV.

"Are you absolutely sure it is okay for you to have a dog?" Luke asked.

Lorelai groaned, "Okay I get it. I'm tired of the comments though. I know that before I was terrible with pets but now I'm fully committed to this. I really love this dog and I want to help him. I love him and that's what he needs. Stop saying how I am incapable of caring for a pet, it was funny at first but now it's just annoying. Leave it alone. I have this dog now and I'm not giving it back." She said sitting down in a chair and crossing her arms.

Luke could tell that she was now mad at him. He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, "Hey, I'm sorry for saying all that. I do believe that you can take care of this dog. I apologize," Luke said.

Lorelai looked at him, "It is okay. I understand let's just not talk about my past with animals anymore."

Luke smiled, "good." He said standing up and kissing her forehead.

Lorelai slapped his butt as he walked away, "Now fix me some dinner mister." She said winking at him.

"Watch it," Luke warned. Lorelai laughed. Luke rolled his eyes. They fell into their all too familiar pattern as Luke started to cook.

* * *

The next day, Lorelai and Rory were dressed for Friday Night dinner as they drove towards the diner. They walked in the diner and took a seat at the counter. Luke walked over to them.

"Hey, what are you two doing here? Don't you have dinner with your parents tonight?" Luke asked looking at Lorelai.

"Yep but I needed to see the hunky diner owner before I left," Lorelai said grinning causing Luke to blush. "Plus, I need some coffee to-go please."

"Me too on the whole coffee thing," Rory said. April walked over to them. Luke walked off to get their coffee.

"Hey Lorelai, hey Rory," she greeted.

"Hey April," they said in unison before laughing.

"Why are you guys all dressed up?" April asked.

"We have to go to dinner and my parent's house and this is the required attire," Lorelai explained. "They require dressing up for every meal. It's insane but we have to do it." Luke handed her the coffee cup, "Well we really need to get going. We don't need to be late, bye April, bye Luke." Lorelai said leaning over the counter. "Kiss," she said before Luke leaned in and kissed her. Lorelai smiled, "see you later."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Lorelai and Rory arrived at the Gilmore mansion. Lorelai was done with her coffee so she decided to leave her empty cup in the Jeep so Emily wouldn't say anything about it. Lorelai climbed out of her jeep with Rory close behind and walked to the front door.

"I don't want to go in right now." Lorelai said.

"It will not be that bad Mom, just press the button." Rory said.

"Can't we just fake sick and go home?" Lorelai asked.

"I was the one she attacked last time, I should be the one that doesn't want to be here but I do so I'm pressing the button," Rory said reaching over and ringing the doorbell.

After a few minutes, Emily answered the doorbell.

"Why are you answering the door Mom?" Lorelai asked.

"I have no idea where that maid is." Emily said pausing. "Well don't just stand there all night, come in." she said stepping aside to allow Lorelai and Rory into the house.

Lorelai and Rory followed Emily into the living room. Richard fixed their drinks as soon as they entered the room. After fixing their drinks, Richard sat down to join in the conversation with the girls.

"Anything new with you Lorelai?" Emily asked.

Lorelai shook her head, "No, nothing new, just the same old things going on."

"Are you sure there is nothing new?" Emily asked.

"I'm sure, nothing new at all Mother." Lorelai said.

"Why do you always do this Lorelai? You always keep things from me."

"I'm not keeping anything from you. I have no news." Lorelai replied.

"What about you and Luke?" Emily asked.

"What about Luke and me? I told you that we were back together last week when you decided to lay into Rory for not saying yes to Logan's proposal." Lorelai said.

Emily opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the maid announcing that dinner was ready. Emily got up from her seat and followed the maid into the dining room. Lorelai, Richard and Rory followed Emily. After sitting down and being served their first course, Emily turned to Lorelai.

"No news about you and Luke?" Emily asked.

"Gosh, no mother, Luke and I are back together. That's it." Lorelai said eating her salad.

"So you two are not engaged again?" Emily asked.

"No, we're not." Lorelai said.

"Well, why not?"

"Because we just got back together, right now I'm happy just to be with him. I don't need to be engaged or married to know that Luke loves me."

"Well if he loved you then he would propose, I mean you were engaged before." Emily said.

"Yes, we were. We are working through things now. I don't think we just need to jump into anything. I love Luke and he loves me. That's all that matters. Just drop this issue. Luke and I may get married someday, we talked about our future together and agreed that we could be married one day. I'm happy where we are at right now though. We are together. So like I said before let's drop this." Lorelai said trying to keep her calm. She was not going to allow her mother to ruin this for her.

"Well how did your trip go Lorelai?" Richard asked.

Lorelai smiled, "It was great Dad. Thanks for asking. It was nice to spend time with Rory, Luke and April. I really got a chance to bond with April and so did Rory. She also got time to spend with Luke. The trip really allowed us to connect as a family." Lorelai said.

"Yeah, the trip was really great. We all had a lot of fun," Rory said agreeing with her mother.

"Well I'm glad that you had a great trip Lorelai." Richard said.

"Thanks Dad." Lorelai replied.

"How can you all be a family if you're not married or even engaged? That's not really a family." Emily said.

"Seriously, drop the issue or I'm leaving and I might not come back this time. I'm tired of this Mother. We are a family because we care about one another. Luke and I are going to be together; engaged, married or not. Families don't sit there and belittle one another because of their marital status. April is a great girl and I love her. I do consider her my family just as much as I consider Luke a part of my family. Now that's all I have to say on that issue. Do not say anything else or I will walk out that door and leave for good. I'm tired of this all the time." Lorelai warned.

"She's right Emily, just drop this." Richard said.

"Yes, let's talk about Rory. She is moving to New York soon." Lorelai said. Rory smiled.

"Just one more thing, if you and Luke are back together then I expect him next Friday."

"Oh I don't know about that. April is still staying with him plus he has the diner so he might not make it." Lorelai said.

"Oh I'm sure he can make it. Plus I would like to meet April too." Emily said.

"I'll think about it." Lorelai said. "Now let's talk about Rory." She said changing the subject.

"Which reminds me, your grandmother and I are going to help you find a place, and we have a few apartments picked out close to where you will be working. We are going to help you pay for it as well. This is our graduation present to you. If you do not want to accept those terms, then we can work out some sort of payment schedule for your apartment once we find you a place." Richard said.

"Okay, I will think about that. When can I look at the places that you have picked out?" Rory asked.

"I have pictures from the apartments that we picked out; I can get those for you after dinner. I have all the information in my office. You can go through them and pick out the one you want. I can also schedule a time for you to see the apartments in person if you would like that." Richard said.

"That sounds great Grandpa. I will let you know if I need to see the places in person." Rory said smiling.

"We would also like to help you furnish the apartment," Emily said.

"Umm, I don't know. You and Rory don't really have the same exact taste Mom. I'm not saying your taste is bad but Rory is a little bit younger than you. Plus, I need to help her out in some way so I can help her furnish the apartment. You two are already paying for the place, you do not need to do much more than that." Lorelai said.

"Plus, I already have things from my old apartment that I can use for the time being. I do not need a lot of things for a new place. I have some money saved up too if I want to buy anything." Rory said.

Emily looked displeased, "Well tell me if you change your mind." She said.

They continued to eat the rest of their dinner talking about Rory's move to New York. They worked out details for moving Rory out there. Lorelai said her and Luke were going to move Rory out there but Emily and Richard could join them if they wanted too. After dinner, Richard gave Rory information about her future potential apartments like he promised and they left the Gilmore Mansion. Lorelai drove Rory and herself home. After arriving home, Rory looked through the apartment papers while Lorelai headed out the door to see Luke.

* * *

Lorelai walked into the closed diner and started looking around for Luke. She figured that he was in the storeroom, so she walked back there quietly, trying to sneak up on him. She stood in the doorway watching him put away boxes. Luke looked up and noticed Lorelai watching him; he walked over and greeted her with a kiss.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well Friday Night dinner is over and I usually come by here, right?" Lorelai asked.

"Right," Luke smiled, "so how did dinner go?"

"Emily was in her usual form. She questioned me about us being back together and why we are not engaged, if we are back together. I just told her that I'm happy to be with you and if an engagement is too happen then it will happen. I just really love being back with you. I told her that we talked about marriage and our future but we weren't engaged." Lorelai said.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that." Luke said pulling her into his arms.

"I'm used to it. Oh and she wants you to come to dinner next week, April too. I told her that I would think about it. I mean, you are used to my parents but I don't know about exposing April to them. Emily can be kind of toxic at times."

"I can go if you want me too." Luke said.

"Luke, I don't even want to go most of the time. We can think about it but not right now." She said pulling Luke in closer for a kiss. "I'm so glad that you are moving in soon. I've missed you in our house."

"Well I have missed being there." Luke said smiling. "Not too much longer and I will be back."

"I know. Hey, I was thinking about taking April shopping tomorrow. Rory and I are going and I figured it would be great if April could go because we could spend time together. I thought a girls' day would be nice. If you don't mind that is." Lorelai said.

"Lorelai, you can spend time with April if you want too. I'm sure she will be thrilled to go shopping with you two. You don't have to check if it is okay with me." Luke said. He was thrilled that Lorelai wanted to spend so much time with April.

"Just making sure, we will leave in the morning. Rory and I will come by here for breakfast so I will pick up April then. You get the whole day away from me, how are you going to deal with that?" Lorelai asked jokingly.

"I'm sure there's something I can do," Luke said.

Lorelai grinned wickedly, "Dirty," she squealed.

Luke rolled his eyes, "I walked right into that one."

Lorelai laughed, "Oh you definitely did."

"I'll make sure April is ready to leave by the time you two get here. I can give her some money for the shopping trip." Luke said.

"Or you could just give me your credit card." She said smiling, "I mean, that is always an idea."

"I don't know if I completely trust you with my card," Luke said.

Lorelai slapped his arm, "You can totally trust me. Plus if we are going to be married one day, then I'm going to use your credit cards anyways so we could totally get an early start on that."

"Well I suppose I could give the card to you if you promise not to go crazy." Luke said.

Lorelai smiled, "Maybe but really I was just kidding. Tomorrow is my treat. I can get April anything she wants. I do not mind at all. I love that girl and it would be great to buy her anything she wants."

Luke smiled when Lorelai said she loved April, she never really said it before. "You're great, you know that?"

"Oh, of course I know that. I'm the best." Lorelai agreed with him. "But you're the best too. You are even better than I am which is why I love you.

Luke placed his hands on the back of her head and pulled her into a kiss. Their kisses soon grew passionate. Luke backed Lorelai up against the wall placing kisses down her neck causing her to sigh and moan softly.

"Hmm Luke as much as I would love for this to continue, I really need to get home. Rory is expecting me back so we can look over the apartment information my dad gave her." Lorelai said as Luke pulled away from her.

"Yeah, I don't think it's wise to do anything here with April right upstairs. I'm not even sure she is asleep yet." Luke said.

"I really can't wait for you to move in because then we would have no interruptions." Lorelai said winking.

"Well Rory," Luke said.

"Yeah but she sleeps like the dead. I'll see you tomorrow Luke." Lorelai said pulling him back for another passionate kiss.

When they broke away from one another, Luke kissed her forehead, "See you tomorrow Crazy Lady."

Lorelai smiled, "Sure thing Burger Boy." She said as she walked out of the storeroom.

Luke followed Lorelai to the diner door and kissed her once again before she left. He watched her walk back towards her house until she got out of his sight. After watching her walk away, Luke went back into the diner and began his closing routine.

* * *

**So that's it for this chapter. This is more of a fluffy-type chapter. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated!**

**Next Chapter: The girls shopping day and maybe Luke will do some shopping of his own.**

**I also decided to bring Paul Anka into the story since he was missing from the beginning, hahaha. I just like how everyone always gets on to Lorelai when she talks about owning a pet.**

**Reviews on last chapter:**

**Javajunkieobsessed: Thank you! I wanted to show Lorelai and April bonding because the story really needed it. Thanks for leaving a review! I appreciate the review.**

**Nancy: They do make a great family. There may be another ring coming along soon, haha. Thanks for leaving a review! I appreciate you taking the time to review!**

**Gilmoreintraining: Jealousy was indeed brewing, plus it allows everyone to talk about it and grow closer. Thanks for leaving a review! I really apprecia**


	16. Shopping Trips and Surprises

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

**A/N: I would have posted this sooner but every time I sat down to try and post it, something happened that I would have to take care of. Also channeling Luke Danes today by wearing flannel, it's just chilly here today, haha.**

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai and Rory strode into the diner and found April sitting at the table. They were all ready for their shopping trip with April. They were just stopping by the diner for a quick breakfast before leaving.

"There's my other shopping buddy," Lorelai exclaimed sitting down at the table next to April. Rory sat down opposite of her mother.

"Hey Lorelai, hey Rory," April replied.

"Hey April," Rory said.

"Luke, honey, coffee now," Lorelai said yelling but not seeing Luke around anywhere. Lorelai turned to ask April where Luke was but then saw Luke walking out from behind the curtain.

"No yelling in the diner Lorelai," Luke said as he walked over to the table with the coffee pot and their coffee mugs.

"Well you were nowhere around plus we are going to be gone all day and I know you are going to miss me sitting in the diner talking to you." Lorelai said as she grabbed her cup of coffee.

"Sure, I'll miss you, maybe there will finally be some peace and quiet in the diner," Luke said. Rory and April laughed.

Lorelai gasped, "Just for that, I'm not going to buy you anything special today when we are out shopping. Nothing at all, I won't even think of you at all today."

"You want your usual for breakfast?" Luke asked.

"Sure." Lorelai replied.

"Same for me," Rory said. Luke scribbled down their orders and walked back into the kitchen.

"You're not getting anything April?" Lorelai asked when she noticed she didn't order anything.

"I already ate before you guys got here," April replied.

"Okay. So I say we make a plan for our shopping trip. I was thinking that besides shopping we could go get our toes done; now that will be our last stop so we can relax after shopping. Which stores do you guys really want to go to? We can stop by the store you most want to go to first then make our way around the mall." Lorelai said.

"First the bookstore," Rory said. April agreed with her.

"Seriously, that's the first store you want to hit?" she asked. They both nodded. "Fine, but we are not spending all day in the bookstore. That is no way to spend a shopping trip. I mean, I like books but we cannot spend all of our shopping trip looking for books."

"Can we also go by the science store?" April asked.

Lorelai nodded, "If that's where you want to go then sure we can stop by there."

Their breakfast arrived and they began to eat. The girls talked more about which stores they definitely wanted to go too during the day and which stores they could avoid. They made their plans while finishing up their breakfast. After they were finished eating, April went upstairs to grab her bag while Lorelai and Rory waited downstairs for her.

"Don't miss me too much today, we'll be back for dinner tonight, so be prepared for us." Lorelai said as she stood at the counter talking to Luke.

"I'll try. Don't buy April every little thing she wants, you can tell her no. I also gave her some money so you don't have to spend so much on her." Luke said.

"I'm not going to spoil her plus she doesn't seem like she would ask for a lot. I just want to spend time with her Luke and shopping is a great way to do that. I'm still going to buy her things though." Lorelai said.

"I'm just glad that you want to spend time with her."

"Of course I do," she said noticing that April was back in the diner, "Now we will be leaving. See you later," she said leaning over the counter to kiss Luke before walking out of the diner door.

* * *

Luke watched all three girls walk outside and climb into Lorelai's jeep. Once they were completely out of sight, he headed back up to his apartment. He had his own plans for today. Once he found out that Lorelai wanted to take April on a shopping trip, he arranged for help to come in so he could be away from the diner all day.

Once he got upstairs, he grabbed his phone and dialed a familiar number. He sat down on the couch as he waited for someone to pick up.

"Gilmore Residence," the voice on the other end answered the phone.

"Hey, may I speak to Richard Gilmore?" Luke asked.

"Who may I ask is calling?" the maid asked.

"Luke Danes," he answered.

"I'll get Mr. Gilmore for you," she replied.

* * *

Lorelai, Rory and April were now at the mall; once inside they headed straight for the bookstore. Rory knew of a few books that she wanted to pick up that Andrew did not have in his bookstore back in Stars Hollow. April wanted to browse through the books to find something new to read. As soon as they got into the bookstore, they split up. Rory walked off by herself while Lorelai stayed with April.

"Now if you see a book that you want, I can buy it for you," Lorelai told April as she was browsing through the books.

"Well Dad did give me money if I wanted to buy something," April replied.

"I know that but today is my treat. I told your dad that but he didn't listen. I want to buy you something. That way you can keep the money your dad gave you for something else one day," Lorelai said winking.

"Thanks Lorelai."

"No problem sweetie."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bookstore, Rory was browsing books when her cellphone rang. She pulled her cellphone out of her purse and answered it.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey Rory, its Luke," he said.

"Oh hey Luke, what's going on? Do you need to talk to Mom about something?" Rory asked.

"Actually no, I wanted to talk to you. Are you currently with your mother?" Luke asked.

"No, she's with April right now. What did you need to talk about?" Rory questioned.

"Well you know that your mom and I are serious about being together now. I wanted to propose to her soon. I wanted your blessing." Luke said.

Rory squealed, "Awww Luke, of course you have my blessing." She looked around to make sure her mom hadn't snuck up on her, "I have wanted you two to get married for so long. I'm excited that it is finally happening, for real this time."

"Thank you Rory. I'm going to talk to your grandparents in a few minutes to make sure they are okay with everything."

"They are going to be. I know they are. They have really grown to like you Luke. They will definitely give their blessing." Rory replied. "Do you have a ring already?"

"Not yet, that's actually what I'm doing today. I have been looking around and I have a few choices. All of which, I'm sure your mom will love. I'm going to pick it up after I talk to your grandparents." Luke said.

"Do you have a plan to propose or anything yet?" Rory asked.

"I want to do it soon. I have a few ideas that I will need your help with though. First thing, I have something that I need you to do tonight." Luke said.

"Okay, what is it?" Rory asked.

"I want to cook dinner for you guys tonight. I just need you to make sure that your mom doesn't decide to go to the diner for dinner tonight. I'm going to go by the house after I finish with everything I need to do today. I will just need you to keep her away until at least six tonight."

"I can do that. Oh hey mom's coming. Talk to you later," Rory said hanging up the phone and putting it back into her purse.

"Hey, who was on the phone?" Lorelai asked as she approached with April.

"Oh that was just Paris. She was just filling me in on her internship she received." Rory said.

"Okay, well April is finished browsing, how about you?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, I have the books I need right here," Rory said holding up three books.

"Alright, well let's pay for those and we can go on to the next store." Lorelai said.

Lorelai, Rory and April all walked towards the cash register. Rory ended up paying for her own books after insisting multiple times. Lorelai paid for April's books and a few books that she picked up for herself. After paying for the books, they left the store in search of the science store that April wanted to go too.

* * *

Luke pulled up in front of the jewelry store that he had visited the day before while Lorelai was at the inn. He picked out three different rings that he was sure Lorelai would love. All were similar in terms of the gems and their style yet each one was unique. Each ring featured diamonds and well as a sapphire stone. Luke wanted the sapphire stone in the ring in order to match Lorelai's eyes. He knew that she deserved a new engagement ring; the old one that still graced his neck would be put up in his safe for safekeeping.

Luke walked into the jewelry store and greeted the jeweler behind the counter.

"Hi, I came by yesterday to look at engagement rings. I picked out three and was wondering if I could check them out again." Luke said.

"Of course, I remember you. Hold on just a minute and I will get those rings for you." The jeweler said walking away.

After a few minutes, the jeweler returned with a tray with the three rings on it. "Here's your rings," He said setting the tray down on the glass counter.

"Thank you," Luke said picking up the first ring. This ring was solid white gold engagement ring with a singular oval shaped diamond in the middle surrounded by small round cut sapphire gemstones. The band was highlighted with small round cut diamonds.

Luke sat the ring down and picked up the second one. This ring was also a solid white gold engagement ring. The center stone was a round cut sapphire gemstone surrounded by a concentric diamond rim, with full cut diamonds. The band of the ring was also graced with small diamonds. The ring was a traditional art-deco style ring.

After examining the first two, Luke picked up the third ring. This ring also had a center stone that consisted of a sapphire. This sapphire was a square cut gemstone. The gemstone was surrounded by small round-cut diamonds. There were a few diamonds gracing the band as well. The band was solid gold.

Luke picked up each ring a few times, examining them closely trying to figure out which one was the ring for Lorelai; he needed to pick the perfect ring.

"If it were me proposing, I would go with this one." The jeweler said pointing to a specific ring. "Any specific reason you want sapphires?"

"They will go with her eyes. She has these amazing blue eyes," Luke said.

The jeweler nodded, "Then definitely this one, in my opinion." He said holding up one of the rings.

"I really do love that one. That is the ring that I want." Luke said.

"Don't you want to see the price first?" he asked.

Luke shook his head, "No. I want that one, no matter the price."

"Ahh, you must really love her to not care about the price."

Luke smiled, "I do."

The jeweler laughed, "Just remember those lines for your wedding. Now I can box this up for you and let you be on your way." He said walking over to the cash register.

After paying for the ring, the jeweler handed over the bag that contained the small blue velvet box with the engagement. He wished Luke the best of luck as Luke left the store. Luke climbed into his truck and pulled out the box that held the ring. He pulled the ring out of the box and examined it once more. It was the perfect ring, he thought. He slowly put the ring back into its box and drove off towards the Gilmore Mansion.

* * *

Back at the mall, they were just exiting the science store empty-handed. April went to see if they had the new microscope in that she read about but unfortunately they did not have it. Lorelai promised that she would try and get it for her for her next birthday or Christmas.

As they were walking they passed by a clothing store which Lorelai insisted they stop by. The clothes were geared more towards April than anyone else but Lorelai told April they should go in and see if they could find anything that she would like.

"Oh look April, this would look great on you," Lorelai said holding up a light blue and white striped sweater.

"You think so?" April asked.

"I agree, I think it would look cute on you," Rory said. "You could pair it with this skirt," Rory said holding up a light grey skirt.

"That's cute!" Lorelai said, "Here go try these on," she said holding up a few more sweaters, shirts, jeans and skirts for April.

"Alright," April said grabbing the clothes and walking towards the dressing room.

"Don't forget to come out and model for us!" Lorelai yelled as April entered the dressing room.

"Okay!" April yelled back.

Lorelai and Rory sat outside the dressing room waiting for April to come out. After a few minutes, April emerged in a pair of jeans and one of the shirts that Lorelai picked out. Lorelai and Rory both approved as did April. They sat outside the dressing room, approving and disapproving of outfits that April tried on. After several outfit changes, they left the store with a few new outfits with April. Lorelai made sure that there was nothing in there that Luke would fuss about, since April was his daughter after all.

After leaving that store, Lorelai headed into another clothing store. She was in search of some new suits for Rory to wear during her internship with the New York Times. If Rory was going to work in a professional setting, she needed to look the part and a few new business suits would do just the trick.

"Now you don't have to decide on anything today but at least we can get an idea of what you are going to need for your move," Lorelai said as they all three browsed through racks of suits.

"How about this one?" April asked holding up a navy blue suit.

"That could definitely work," Lorelai said walking closer to examine the suit. "I think this would look great on you." She said looking at Rory.

"I will try that one on then," Rory said taking the suit from April, "Good choice April," she said.

"Wait, don't try it on yet, let's see if we can find anymore." Lorelai said noticing that Rory was headed towards the dressing room. Rory headed back over towards where her mother was standing.

After browsing through various racks of suits, Rory had seven different ones to try on. Lorelai and April were now sitting aside the dressing room waiting for Rory to come out and model for them. Rory came out in the navy suit first that April picked out. She pretended like she was on a catwalk much to the amusement of Lorelai and Rory. They both approved of the first suit. Rory modeled all of the suits for her mother and April. They all three agreed on only three of the suits that Rory tried on. Lorelai decided to go ahead and buy the suits for Rory so they would not have to do everything last minute.

"Now, we need to get you some shoes to match your suits." Lorelai said as they walked out of the store.

"I have shoes that will match," Rory said.

"You can never have too many shoes as my daughter you should know that." Lorelai replied. "Shoe shopping will have to wait though until after lunch because I am starving!" she said as they began walking towards the food court.

"Me too!" April said.

They could not decide on a single place to eat so, as usual, the girls went around ordering from almost every place in the food court before finally sitting down at a table to eat their lunch.

"So I know your dad likes you to eat healthy like him but today he is not here. This is a girl's day so eat whatever you want. We don't have to tell Luke how much junk food you ate, this will be our secret." Lorelai told April since they were not many healthy options on their trays anyways.

* * *

Luke pulled up in front of the Gilmore Mansion. He parked his truck and grabbed the ring box from the jewelry store bag. He got out of the truck and slipped the box into his pocket. Luke straightened his tie and smoothed down his shirt before reaching out to ring the doorbell. He hated dressing up like this but knew that this outfit was better than his usual flannel for a meeting with the Gilmores.

"Hello Luke," Emily said opening the door, "please come in."

"Hello Mrs. Gilmore," Luke said walking in the door following Emily to the living room where Richard was already sitting.

"Hello Luke, it's nice to see you," Richard said standing up to shake his hand.

Luke reached out and shook his hand, "Hello Mr. Gilmore." He said taking a seat on the couch opposite of Emily and Richard.

"Would you like something to drink?" Richard asked.

Luke shook his head, "No, thank you. I'm good. I just needed to talk to the both of you about something." He said.

"Well what is it?" Emily asked.

"Now as you know, Lorelai and I were engaged before but unfortunately things went wrong and the engagement was broken off." Emily and Richard nodded. "We are back together and working on the issues that drove us to break up. I'm here today because I would like to ask for your blessing in proposing to Lorelai. I love your daughter and I would love to be married to her. I have loved her for years. I love Rory as well and would love to become her stepfather. I have been there for the both of them and now would like for them to become a part of my family." Luke said.

Richard smiled and looked over at Emily who was wearing a proud smile, "I think I speak for the both of us when I say that you most certainly have our blessing. You were engaged once before and we ultimately approved, there was not much need to actually ask for our blessing this time."

"You do have our blessing Luke." Emily said.

"Thank you both. I wanted to ask for your blessing because I know that I screwed things up before with Lorelai by not introducing her to my daughter, April but that is all changed now. I was stupid before to now allow Lorelai around April. That's actually where Lorelai is today. She took Rory and April out for a little shopping trip." Luke said.

"That's nice." Emily said. "Does anyone else know that you are here today?" she asked.

Luke nodded, "Just Rory. I called her earlier to ask for her blessing as well. I told her that I was coming here to speak to you after I asked her."

"I'm glad that you thought of Rory like that. What about the ring, are you going to buy a new one?" Richard asked.

"Actually, I just came from the jewelry store. I bought a new ring today." Luke replied.

"May we see it?" Emily asked.

"Of course," he said standing up and taking the dark blue box from his pocket. He opened the box and sat it down on the table to reveal the second ring he looked at. The ring with the round cut sapphire gemstone surrounded by a concentric ring of diamonds.

"That's beautiful," Emily said picking the box up to examine the ring closer. "Lorelai is going to love it."

"This ring truly is beautiful, it must have set you back quite a bit," Richard commented.

"Well Lorelai is worth it." Luke said. "Don't worry though, I'm not in financial ruin after buying this ring though, I will still be able to support Lorelai." He assured.

Emily closed the ring box and handed it back to Luke, "You certainly have great taste in jewelry."

"Thank you Mrs. Gilmore and Mr. Gilmore. I really need to get going now. I told Rory that I was going to cook dinner for them tonight so I need to head back to get everything set up." Luke said standing up.

"Well you do have our blessing. Now after you propose, I will expect you and your daughter to attend Friday Night dinners since you will soon be a part of the family." Emily said.

"Well my daughter is only staying with me for a little while now so she may not be able to come to dinner," Luke said. "She lives full-time with her mother."

"Still I would like to meet her one day," Emily said.

"I will see what I can do," Luke said. "Thanks for meeting with me today and thank you for your blessing." Luke said walking towards the front door.

"You are welcome," Richard said as he closed the front door behind Luke.

Once outside, Luke let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding and climbed back into his truck. He started the truck up and headed back towards Stars Hollow to prepare dinner for his girls.

* * *

Lorelai, Rory and April were now exiting a shoe store. Lorelai picked up a few new pairs of shoes for herself, Rory and April. Rory and April were walking and talking when they noticed that Lorelai was no longer with them. They turned around to find her standing staring into a shop window. They walked over towards her and noticed she was standing in front of a baby clothing store.

"Um Mom, what are you doing?" Rory asked as she approached Lorelai.

"Nothing, just looking," Lorelai said as she continued to look into the shop window. "Wouldn't it be funny to see a baby wearing a flannel shirt like that," she said pointing a red flannel in the store's window.

"Is there something you're trying to tell me? Are you pregnant?" Rory asked smiling.

Lorelai shook her head, "No, I'm not. I was just thinking about it though. I'm not pregnant though, definitely not." She said looking down at the ground, "So are there any other stores we should go to before going to get our pedicures?"

April and Rory looked at one another and both shook their heads. Rory looked down at her watch and noticed that if they stopped for pedicures they would be home around the exact time that Luke wanted them to be back.

"Well if there is nowhere else than I guess we can go." Lorelai said.

All three walked back out to Lorelai's Jeep and piled their bags inside. Once Lorelai made sure they were all in the car securely, she headed off to the nail salon. The nail salon was close to the mall so their drive was very short. They walked into the salon and Lorelai made sure they were all seated together so they could chat.

"Is this your first pedicure April?" Lorelai asked looking up from the magazine they supplied her with.

"Yeah, it is." April replied.

"Is your mother going to be upset that I'm taking you to do this then?" Lorelai asked.

"No, she shouldn't be. She doesn't really go to get her nails done a lot." April said.

"Just making sure, I mean you're her only child and she could have wanted to take you to do this first."

"I liked spending time with you today, April." Rory said.

"Me too," Lorelai agreed. "It was nice to spend time with you without your dad hanging around. We should have more girls days like this."

"That would be fun," April said. "Thank you for inviting me today."

"No problem sweetie, you're a great shopping buddy." Lorelai said smiling over at April.

"Yeah, you were able to keep up with mom and me and not many people do that." Rory replied.

"True. Your dad might get upset with me though. I promised not to buy you too many things today but I got carried away. I just like buying things for you and Rory."

"We can always say that I used the money he gave me for at least a few of the things. That way he doesn't know you bought me everything." April said grinning.

"Already trying to deceive your father, I'm proud of you." Lorelai laughed, "Just don't use those powers for evil." She said pretending to scold April.

"I'll try not to," April said.

Rory laughed, "You are already a bad influence on her. Luke is not going to be happy."

"That's just what happens when you hang out with Lorelai, you become influenced by me. I'm not a terrible influence, not all bad anyways." Lorelai said as the two girls laughed. "Luke won't stay mad at me too long. If April does something truly horrible one day, which she won't, then I can just blame it on someone else."

The girls continued chatting as they were getting their toes done. Lorelai chose a classic red for her toes, while Rory chose blue and April chose purple. Once they were done, they started walking back out towards the jeep. Lorelai cranked the car on began to drive back to Stars Hollow.

"So I figured we could drop mine and Rory's stuff by the house first then take you back to the diner for dinner and everything." Lorelai said while driving.

"I think that's best," Rory said agreeing with her mother's plan; knowing that Luke was probably already waiting for them at the house.

* * *

Lorelai pulled up in front of her house and spotted Luke's truck parked in the driveway.

"I wonder what he's doing here," Lorelai said as she cut off the jeep and climbed out. Rory and April soon followed her. Lorelai reached into the back and grabbed her bags as did Rory.

"Luke?" she called as she walked into the house. "Are you here?"

"Kitchen." She heard him answer.

Lorelai walked into the kitchen to find Luke standing in front of the oven cooking, "Did I know this was happening?" she asked gesturing to the oven. Rory and April headed into Rory's room to unload her bags.

"No, you did not." Luke said. Lorelai sat her bags down on the floor before reaching her arms around his neck to kiss him. Luke broke away from the kiss and noticed how many bags Lorelai brought in, "Jeez, how much did you buy?" he asked.

"There's not that much. I left April's bags out in the jeep though since we were planning to come by the diner." She replied. "I'm going upstairs to change. Will dinner be ready soon?" she asked.

"Just a few more minutes, should be done by the time you get back downstairs."

"Great, I'm starving." She said as she headed back up the stairs.

A few minutes later, Lorelai came back down the stairs in a new dress that she bought while on their shopping trip. She walked into the kitchen to find Luke, Rory and April all sitting at the table talking. They stopped talking when she walked into the kitchen.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

"We were just telling Luke about our shopping trip," Rory said.

"So that's why you stopped talking when I walked into the room?" Lorelai asked. "Don't worry you guys can plan a surprise for me. I don't mind," she winked.

"Is that a new dress?" Luke asked taking in the dress she was wearing. It was a blue sundress that stopped right above her knees. The dress clung to her every curve.

"Just bought it today, you like?" she asked.

"You look great," Luke said pulling in closer for a quick but sweet kiss since the girls were in the room. "Everything is ready, the table is all set so we can sit down and eat."

They all sat down to eat dinner together. Lorelai chatted about her shopping trip with the girls and how happy she was to be able to spend time with April and Rory. Luke smiled as Lorelai talked about April; he was happy that she was willing to spend so much time with her after everything he put her through before with April. After finishing dinner and dessert, Rory suggested that she and April go see a movie to give Luke and Lorelai some alone time.

"You two have fun at the movie," Lorelai said as Rory was getting ready to head out the door.

"We will," April answered.

"We definitely will." Rory said as she grabbed her purse out of her room. She walked out of her room and discovered Luke was standing alone in the kitchen. She walked over to him, "Are you asking her tonight?" she whispered.

"That's the reason I suggested you and April go see a movie." Luke whispered back. Lorelai walked back into the kitchen and saw them whispering.

"Seriously what are you two always talking about when I leave the room?" she asked.

"Nothing really, Luke was just giving me some money for snacks," Rory said smiling over at Luke.

"Just like your mother," Luke muttered as he pulled out his wallet. He handed her a few bills, "Just make sure April doesn't eat too much junk. She is not used to it like you two are."

"I'm a good babysitter," Rory said. "See you two later," she said now walking out of the house with April following behind her.

* * *

Once the girls were out of the house and the dishes were all clean, Lorelai turned to Luke, "Did you pay the girls to leave us alone for a little while?" she asked.

"This was all their idea." Luke replied. "Although it is not a terrible idea."

"Not a terrible idea at all," Lorelai said leaning in closer to Luke. She placed her hands on his head and pulled him closer placing a gentle kiss on his lips. She moved her hands to the base of his neck running her hands through the small curls that were placed there. Lorelai tried to deepen the kiss but Luke pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Lorelai asked. "We are all alone now Luke."

"I know but there's something else that I want to do," Luke said grabbing her hand, "Let's go outside."

"Dirty," Lorelai exclaimed. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Not what I meant," Luke said as they walked out onto the porch.

"What are we doing out here?" Lorelai asked.

"There's something I want to show you," Luke said.

"What could you possibly show me that is in my yard, that I do not know about?" Lorelai said as Luke pulled her across the yard.

"This," Luke said as he stopped in front of the chuppah that was now decorated with twinkly lights.

"Did you do this today?" she asked.

"Maybe," Luke said smiling as he pulled her up underneath the chuppah.

"This is really beautiful Luke." She said staring up at the lights overhead. Luke let go of her hand and pulled the small ring box out as Lorelai looked above at the lights.

"You're beautiful," he said as he got down on one knee.

Lorelai turned to look at him when she heard his voice and found him kneeling down, "Oh Luke," she said when she noticed he was holding a small blue box.

"I've wanted to do this since we got back together. You are the only person that I could imagine spending the rest of my life with. I have never wanted anything more than I want you to be my wife."

"Luke," Lorelai said, her voice wavering, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Luke opened the ring box revealing the ring, "Lorelai Gilmore, will you marry me?"

Lorelai smiled widely, "Yes," she said her voice barely above a whisper.

Luke looked up at her, "Yes?"

Lorelai nodded her head and smiled, "Of course it's a yes," she said louder. Lorelai pulled Luke up from his kneeling position and grabbed his head with her hands pulling him in for a kiss. Luke wrapped one arm around Lorelai's back as they kissed. Lorelai opened her mouth to Luke as he moved to deepen the kiss. Catching their breath, Luke broke away from the kiss. He pulled the ring out of the box and grabbed Lorelai's hand. She smiled down at her hand as Luke slid the ring on her finger. She placed another kiss on his lips before they were interrupted by the sound of clapping.

"What are you guys still doing here?" Lorelai asked as she noticed Rory and April standing beside the chuppah.

"We had to be here for this," Rory said wiping tears from her eyes.

"You planned all of this? You planned for Rory and April to be here?" Lorelai asked looking at Luke. He just nodded. "That's why I love you." She said leaning in to kiss his cheek.

"So let us see the ring," Rory said excitedly. Lorelai smiled as she walked over to the girls and held out her left hand. Rory grabbed her hand and awed over the ring as did April. They examined the ring for a few minutes. "Well we are actually heading to the movies now, so see you guys later."

Lorelai leaned down and hugged April before she left, "I'm so happy that you are now going to be a part of my family, I love you kid."

"I'm happy too," April said.

Rory walked over to Luke, "Welcome to the family, Dad," she said as she wrapped her arms around him hugging him. Luke smiled as he hugged Rory back.

Rory hugged her mother, "I'm so happy for the both of you." She said.

Lorelai pulled back from the hug, "Me too. Now go have fun at your movie."

Lorelai walked back over to Luke. He wrapped his arm around his waist as they watched the girls walk off in the direction of the town.

"Rory called me Dad," Luke said proudly.

"Doesn't surprise me, you've always been a like a dad to her." Lorelai said as she looked down at her ring. "You have amazing taste in jewelry, this ring is beautiful Luke."

"Just like you," Luke replied. Lorelai smiled over at Luke. She placed her hands on either side of his head and pulled him closer for a kiss. She crashed her lips against his. Luke poured himself into the kiss. Lorelai moaned into his mouth.

Catching their breath, they broke apart. Lorelai leaned in closer to Luke, "I suggest we take this inside before we give Babette a real show. Not that she would mind at all," she whispered.

* * *

Luke grabbed her hand pulling her back inside the house. Once inside, Luke pushed Lorelai up against the wall placing kisses down her neck. "Upstairs Luke," she whispered huskily. "Now." She said wrapping her legs around him as Luke carried her upstairs. Luke laid her across the bed as he positioned himself above her. Luke leaned down and kissed her passionately, running his hands along her body.

Luke lifted up the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head. Lorelai writhed underneath his touch as he placed kisses down her body. She reached down and pulled his shirt over his head running her hands over his muscles. Lorelai grabbed his head pulling it to hers kissing him. She applied a slight suction to his bottom lip; she smiled into the kiss as he moaned responding to her touch.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

Later that night, they lay tangled in the sheets. Lorelai's head was resting on Luke's chest. She ran her fingers in small circles along his chest. She smiled down at the ring gleaming on her finger. Lorelai lifted her head up to face Luke.

"Are you sure you want to be stuck with me for the rest of your life?" she asked. "I know I can get pretty annoying at times. Are you absolutely sure you can deal with me forever?"

Luke laughed, "There is no one else I would rather spend my life with, no matter how annoying you can get."

Lorelai slapped his chest, "You're supposed to tell me that I'm not annoying."

"I'm not going to lie, we're supposed to be honest with one another, remember?"

Lorelai laughed, "Whatever, you're the one that has to deal with me anyways."

They lay there in silence for a few minutes, the sound of the breathing, the only sound in the room. Lorelai curled herself into Luke. He wrapped his arms around Lorelai pulling her in closer to him.

"When are the girls supposed to be back?" Lorelai asked.

"Rory said something about taking April back to the apartment and staying there, so I think we have the rest of the night to ourselves." Luke said.

Lorelai raised up her eyebrows. "Really?" she asked positioning herself on top of Luke, "Well in that case." She placed kisses down along his chest before moving back up to kiss along his neck.

Luke flipped them over so he was back on top; Lorelai giggled as he pushed back the sheets away from her and started placing kisses all over her face. They held each other as close as possible all night, both knowing that this time nothing was going to tear them apart.

* * *

**So I didn't originally plan for the proposal in this chapter but I like where it ended up. I also spent forever looking at engagement rings online to find ones that I described in this chapter. They were all so pretty.**

**I'm going to be super busy today so leave me some nice reviews to come home too, please! Reviews are great.**

**Reviews on last chapter:**

**Chloe: Thanks for reviewing! Glad you are enjoying the story.**

**Scarlet3806: Thank you!**

**Ladypuercoloco: Fluffy is definitely needed sometimes. April needs to be included. I wasn't her biggest fan on the show either. I always thought that Richard would have been the more supportive one. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Gilmoreintraining: Thanks! I figured spending alone time with April and Rory is something that Lorelai would have done if she actually had the chance. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Alaskanbackdoor: Emily meeting anyone for the first time usually doesn't go well. I always liked Paul Anka, he was hilarious. I thought my dogs were crazy but they had nothing on him. Thanks for reviewing! **


	17. Letting Everyone Know

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls.**

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai woke up and rolled over to Luke's side of the bed to find it empty. She got out of bed and threw on her sweatpants under the flannel of Luke's she was wearing and made her way downstairs to find Luke. She found him in the kitchen talking with April and Rory. They were already eating breakfast by the time Lorelai made her way into the kitchen.

"Good morning future Mr. Lorelai Gilmore," Lorelai joked as she fixed her coffee. She winked at the girls after saying it and earned a few laughs from them.

Luke rolled his eyes, "Good morning," he said letting the joke slide. They shared a quick kiss before Lorelai moved to sit down at the table next to the girls.

As Lorelai sat down, Luke placed a plate of pancakes in front of her before sitting down to eat his oatmeal. Luke placed a plate of fruit next to Lorelai but she pushed it away.

"Not going to happen," she said.

"It's just a little fruit," Luke replied.

"Still not eating it."

"Just a little bit."

"Nope."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Jeez, you two are already fighting like an old married couple," Rory joked. April and Lorelai laughed.

"I'm just trying to keep her healthy, you too Rory," Luke said pushing fruit next to her.

"I take after this one and I'm going to have to say no." Rory replied.

"That's my girl." Lorelai said.

Lorelai stood up out of her chair as Paul Anka walked into the room, "Oh hey, I forgot to tell you the good news puppy. You're getting a new daddy." She bent down to pet the dog.

"I am not that dog's father," Luke defended.

Lorelai turned around to face him, "You're the one that proposed. You're marrying me which means you're marrying my kids which include Rory and Paul Anka. You cannot take that back now. Look how cute he is, how could you hate a face like that?"

"You know I don't like dogs." Luke said.

"Who doesn't like dogs? Plus he is not a normal dog. You should like him." Lorelai said.

"Whatever you say," Luke said. "I have to get to the diner now though since I wasn't there yesterday. Are you coming by later?" he asked. He started walking towards the front door.

"Of course I'm coming by. I have to come by and see my fiancé in action. How else are we going to announce to the town that we are engaged again?" Lorelai said as soon as they were at the front door.

"You don't have to tell them anything. They can just figure it out on their own." Luke said.

"I'll think about it but I'm going over to Sookie's to tell her as soon as I get dressed. She has to know first."

"Well I'll see you for lunch then?" he asked.

"Definitely," she said smiling wrapping her arms around his neck. They shared a soft, sweet kiss before Luke left the house.

* * *

Two hours later, Lorelai headed out the door to go to Sookie's house; she walked across the town with her hands in her pants pockets so no one would be able to get a glimpse of the ring. She had to keep it a secret until she made it to Sookie's.

Lorelai arrived at Sookie's house and knocked on the door. After a few minutes, Sookie opened the door.

"Lorelai, come in," Sookie said. "Sorry it took so long to get to the door; the kids are just running crazy this morning."

"Oh well if you're busy then I can make this really quick. I just wanted to tell you something," Lorelai said smiling.

"No we have time, Jackson has the kids now." Sookie said. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

Lorelai shook her head, "Nothing's wrong. Actually I have great news." She said pausing, "Luke and I are engaged…again." Lorelai exclaimed pulling her left hand out of her pocket and displaying her hand in front of Sookie's face.

Sookie squealed and started jumping up and down. Lorelai joined her in the squealing and jumping around. Jackson walked into the room to see what the commotion was about.

"Sookie, don't jump it might hurt the baby," Jackson scolded his pregnant wife before walking back out of the room.

Sookie stopped her jumping and rolled her eyes, "He's so protective when I'm pregnant. Anyways when did this happen?"

"Last night. The girls and I got home from shopping and Luke was at the house. He had dinner prepared for all of us. After dinner, the girls leave and he takes me outside to the chuppah, which he decorated with these really pretty lights. We're standing under the chuppah and he proposed. I said yes, of course," Lorelai said waving her left hand around again. "April and Rory watched the whole thing because Luke had informed them of what he was going to do. It was so sweet."

"Awww, it sounds really romantic," Sookie said.

"It really was. Just don't tell anyone how Luke planned out everything. He has to keep up that gruff diner owner exterior, no one can know that he is a giant softy," Lorelai said laughing.

"I'll keep it a secret," Sookie winked. "So have you thought about the wedding any?"

"Not really. I want the wedding to be soon though. I don't really want to wait. Luke and I haven't had much luck with our engagement in the past."

"Have you and Luke discussed anything?"

Lorelai shook her head, "No, we were too busy last night," she said winking. Sookie laughed. "I don't think he will have a problem with having the wedding soon though after everything that we've been through."

"Well I'm here to help in any way possible. I am the best friend of the bride." Sookie said.

"Yes you are. Look, I should probably go. I need to go get some lunch and show off this baby," Lorelai said waving her ring around. "As soon as I talk to Luke about the wedding, I will tell you what we decided on," Lorelai said as she was walking out of the door.

"Sounds great!" Sookie yelled after her.

Lorelai headed out of Sookie's house and started walking towards the diner.

* * *

Lorelai made her way into the diner and noticed that Miss Patty and Babette were sitting at their usual table. They paid no attention to her as she walked past. She frowned slightly because since leaving Sookie's house, no one noticed her engagement ring. Lorelai saw that April and Rory were sitting at a table together so she made her way over there.

"Hey girls," Lorelai said sitting down.

"Hey, so did you tell Sookie?" Rory asked.

"Yeah and she is totally set to plan the wedding. Luke and I haven't even talked about any details of the wedding yet and Sookie is ready to plan the whole thing," Lorelai said. "Thanks babe," she said as Luke sat down her coffee cup in front of her and filled it with coffee. Luke leaned down and kissed her forehead before walking away.

"Does anyone else know besides Sookie?" asked April.

"No. No one has even noticed. I was waiting for someone to notice the ring but no one has noticed. The Stars Hollow Gossips are not on their game today," Lorelai said. She picked up her coffee cup and wrapped both hands around her mug, making sure her ring was on display and she drank her coffee. Still no one noticed her ring.

"That's weird, you have been sitting here for a few minutes and no one has noticed the ring," Rory whispered.

"I know. I think we're in a parallel universe today," Lorelai said.

Luke walked over to the table and set food down in front of the girls. Lorelai and Rory both got cheeseburgers and fries while April had a turkey burger and fries.

"When did I order this?" Lorelai asked Luke pointing to her food.

"Rory ordered for you before you came in," Luke said.

"Yeah, I figured that's what you usually order," Rory said.

"Great thinking," Lorelai replied already digging into her food.

"So I'm assuming you already told Sookie," Luke said.

"Yep, she's excited about it. Already to start planning the wedding, prepare for the diner to be taken over once again," Lorelai joked.

"You are not taking up all the tables again," Luke said.

"Oh we'll see," Lorelai replied. Luke walked away from the table to take care of the other customers in the diner.

After finishing her lunch, Lorelai looked over at Miss Patty and Babette who were still in their same position talking. "I'm going over to talk to them. Be right back," she said looking back at Rory and April.

Lorelai made her way over to the table where Babette and Miss Patty sat. She pulled up an extra chair and sat down.

"I must say you guys are definitely not on your game today," Lorelai said as she sat down at the table. She placed her hands in her lap so they couldn't see the ring.

"What are you talking about dear?" Miss Patty asked.

"I just know that there is some juicy gossip going around and you two do not seem to be filled in on it." Lorelai replied with a smirk.

"What gossip?" Babette asked.

"Maybe it has something to do with this," Lorelai said placing her left hand on the table. Babette picked up her hand and examined the ring.

"This ring is a beauty," Babette said showing the ring to Miss Patty.

"Wait, you guys don't seem surprised by this at all," Lorelai said.

"Well," Babette said.

"Wait, did you already know? How did you already know?" Lorelai asked.

"Sweetheart, you live next door. I saw the whole thing!" Babette screeched.

"So both of you already knew?" Lorelai asked.

"Well of course dear," Miss Patty said.

"Does anyone else know?" Lorelai asked.

"No, we decided that you needed to be the one to share this news," Miss Patty said.

"That Luke is such a romantic," Babette said.

Lorelai smiled over at Luke who was behind the counter helping a customer, "Yeah he is, but don't tell anyone. He can't have that getting out just yet. He has to be the tough diner man." Lorelai joked.

"Of course. Those were some kisses that you two shared last night," Babette said smirking.

Lorelai blushed, "Yeah they were. Well since you two already know everything then I guess I should go back to my table. Spread the news around," she said as she walked back to their table.

"What did they say?" April asked.

"They already knew! Babette saw the whole thing last night. They were just acting like they didn't know anything. They were waiting for me to tell them." Lorelai said.

"You really can't sneak anything past them, can you?" Rory asked.

"Nothing at all," Lorelai replied.

* * *

Later that night, Luke was once again over at Lorelai's house. April and Rory left them alone because Rory wanted to spend more time with April. Lorelai and Luke are sitting on the couch talking.

"So about the wedding," Lorelai said.

"What about the wedding?" Luke asked.

"When I went to tell Sookie today about the engagement she started trying to plan the wedding but of course I told her that nothing is set for the wedding yet. That got me to thinking though and I think the wedding should be soon. We're not good at the whole engagement thing so I think getting married soon it the best option," Lorelai said.

"That sounds good to me, I just want to be married to you," Luke said pulling Lorelai closer to him. "Do you have a date in mind?"

Lorelai shook her head, "No but I was thinking about doing it before Rory leaves for New York but I don't think that's possible because I can't plan a wedding and prepare her for the move. That's just too much."

"When does she move to New York?" Luke asked.

"Well the internship starts at the second week of August so she's moving there within the first week of August. We have already looked a few apartment listings that my dad picked out so we have to go there soon to actually look at the apartments. I just don't think there is any way to plan the wedding before Rory leaves."

"Well we can always do it after Rory leaves," Luke said. "She can always come home for the weekend."

"I know. I just wanted her to be here for everything. Maybe we can have it at the beginning of September. That way Rory can be here for most of the planning but we can also plan her move." Lorelai said.

"September sounds great," Luke said.

"I just need to check with the dates at the Dragonfly to see when we are free." Lorelai said. "Wait you're okay with having it at the Dragonfly right?" Lorelai asked.

"I just assumed that's where we would have it."

"So tomorrow, I'll look at the dates and see what's available. Then Sookie and I can start planning the wedding. We can take over your diner again."

"I already told you that you're not taking over the diner," Luke said.

"That's what you think. Just wait, we are going to take over the diner. Just go ahead and set aside two tables for us."

"Not happening Lorelai."

"Keep on thinking that Luke."

Silence reigned in the room for a few minutes. "April's leaving in a few days," Luke said.

"When is she leaving?" Lorelai asked.

"Anna is flying back Friday. She will pick up April on Saturday."

"I'm going to miss her," Lorelai said.

"Me too," Luke replied.

"When will she be back in Stars Hollow?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm not sure. I have to talk to Anna about that."'

"Okay, are you going to tell Anna that you're moving back in here? Is she going to be okay with April staying with us?"

"I'm going to tell her and I'm going to tell her that we are getting married. She'll have to be okay with April staying here. This will be my home so April will stay here," Luke said.

"Just making sure," Lorelai replied. "I just didn't want to do anything to get Anna mad at you."

"Don't worry about that, I can handle Anna. Everything will be fine," Luke said reassuringly.

Lorelai smiled, "I know. You know that now that we are engaged my parents are going to expect you at Friday Night dinners from now on, right?"

"I know. When are you going to tell them?" Luke asked.

"I was thinking I would tell them when I go over there this Friday. I don't expect you to go this Friday since it will be your last night with April. You need to spend that time with her not with my parents. Anyways after they find out, they are going to force you to attend everything they have just they like do with me."

"I'll go this Friday if you want me too," Luke said.

Lorelai shook her head, "You need to spend that time with April. We have spent a lot of time together but you really haven't spent any father-daughter time with her and you need to do that. I have spent time with April by myself and so has Rory but you really haven't so I'm forbidding you from Friday Night dinner, not that I don't want you there but you're spending that time with April."

Luke laughed, "Is that an order?"

Lorelai smiled, "You bet it is."

* * *

Tuesday afternoon, Lorelai and Sookie were on their way to the diner. They were both carrying bags containing bridal magazines and binders filled with wedding ideas. Since her discussion with Luke, Lorelai was ready to start planning the wedding and of course Sookie was on board.

"Are you sure about this?" Sookie asked as they neared the diner, "Isn't Luke going to be mad we are taking over the diner?"

"He might be but this is his wedding too. We plan in the diner that way I can ask him any questions I need too." Lorelai replied. "He will not kick us out."

"Are you sure about that?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai stopped in front of the diner door, "Yes, you're pregnant and he loves me. He wouldn't kick us out. At least I don't think he will." She swung open the diner door and noticed that Luke was nowhere around.

"Cesar, where's Luke?" Lorelai asked walking over to the counter.

"He went upstairs for a minute. He should be back down soon." Caesar said, "Did you need something?"

Lorelai smiled wickedly, "No I'm good," she turned to Sookie, "He's not in the diner right now. Let's claim a table." Lorelai and Sookie walked over to one table in the corner of the restaurant and began spreading the bridal magazines around. Lorelai opened one binder and set it on the table.

"Do you have a date in mind?" Sookie asked.

"Well we decided that we would have to have the wedding after Rory moves to New York, so we thought that the beginning of September would be good. I checked the dates at the Dragonfly before we left and both Saturdays at the beginning of September are free. That leaves us with September 4th or the 13th as a date."

"I like the sound of the 4th," Sookie said.

"Me too, I will just ask Luke when he comes down. Be right back, I'm going to get some coffee, want anything?" Lorelai asked standing up from the table. Sookie shook her head no. Lorelai quickly walked behind the counter and grabbed her mug. Just as she was picking up the coffee pot, Lorelai heard a voice behind her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Luke asked.

Lorelai turned around smiling innocently, "What are you talking about sweetie?"

"You're not supposed to be behind the counter."

"I needed some coffee before we get so involved in the planning that I cannot stop for a minute to get my own coffee," Lorelai explained.

"What are you going on about?" Luke asked. He looked up from behind the counter and noticed Sookie sitting at a corner table surrounded by binders and magazines. Sookie waved. "I told you that you're not planning the wedding in here," Luke said. "I have paying customers that need those tables."

"I am a paying customer," Lorelai said pulling two dollars out of her pocket, "See, here's some money," she said setting the bills down on the counter. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have planning to do." Lorelai walked out from behind the counter leaving Luke standing there. She quickly walked back to the table with her coffee in her hand. She smiled as she sat down next to Sookie. She looked up to see that Luke was standing next to the table.

"Oh hey there Luke, what do you think of September 4th?" she asked trying to change his mind about them planning the wedding in the diner.

"What?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"September 4th, for the wedding. It is one of the dates that we have free in September. I checked the planner at the Dragonfly this morning. It is a Saturday."

"Sounds good to me," Luke said.

Lorelai smiled and wrote the date down into the binder, "Well there we have it, our wedding date." Luke smiled down at Lorelai. "See planning the wedding in the diner isn't that bad Luke."

"You're not staying here all day though," Luke said turning to walk away.

Lorelai laughed, "We'll see about that," she yelled at his retreating figure. She turned back to Sookie, "Okay so we have a date. What's next?"

"Well we still have everything else to plan," Sookie said. "Ooh who are you going to have as your bridesmaids? How many are you going to have?"

"Well I was thinking Rory and you, of course, if you want to do that," Lorelai said smiling at Sookie.

"Of course, I'll be your bridesmaid. I'll just be the pregnant bridesmaid," Sookie said laughing.

"Well you aren't due until December so being a pregnant bridesmaid shouldn't be a problem. At least we don't have to worry about you upstaging me by going into labor," Lorelai joked. "Also, I was thinking about asking April to be a part of the wedding. I was going to talk to Luke first though to make sure he is okay with her being a bridesmaid."

"I'm sure he will okay with it," Sookie said. "You two are much closer now and plus you have been spending a lot of time with April recently."

"Yeah I know. So I have bridesmaids picked out, Luke needs to pick out his groomsmen, which we can talk about later," Lorelai said scribbling some notes into her binder. "and we still have everything to plan. I do know that I want the bridesmaids dressed to be blue, at least."

"Well we still have plenty of time to plan; just because we got everything done in a day last time doesn't mean that this won't come together. We will get everything planned." Sookie said.

"I know," Lorelai said, "I just thought of something and this is going to completely come across as shocking and something I would never physically want to do but I think it's something that I absolutely need to do. I think I'm going to bring my mother in to help plan with wedding, with the help of you and me and Rory of course."

"You're really going to ask your mother?" Sookie asked in astonishment.

Lorelai nodded, "She's going to be upset if I don't ask her. Plus you have a family to take care of and your job at the Inn, I have the Inn and I have to help Rory prepare for her move so that doesn't leave too much time for planning. Emily has connections to people that I don't have, I'm sure she can help plan this thing."

"That's the best idea? You working close with Emily?" Sookie asked.

"It's not the best idea but I think it is a way to get things done. I will tell her that if she wants to help plan this that we are going to go by my rules; meaning that I want to have it at the Dragonfly, I don't want a huge ceremony with all her friends, and I do not want her to take over everything and plan the dream wedding she has for me. I want to plan my dream wedding not hers." Lorelai said.

"Are you sure she's going to agree to all that?"

"Well she will have to if she wants to help plan this wedding. I'll talk with her Friday when I tell them about the engagement."

"Can't wait to hear how that goes," Sookie said.

"I'm right there with you," Lorelai replied.

Sookie and Lorelai spent two more hours in the diner discussing possibilities for the wedding with glares from Luke every now and then. Sookie left when she announced she needed to get back to her house and the kids saying that she had left Jackson alone for long enough. Once Sookie was gone, Lorelai packed up the magazines and binders and stuffed them back into her bag. She walked over to the counter to talk to Luke.

"More coffee?" Lorelai asked holding up the mug she brought from her table.

"This stuff will kill ya," Luke said.

"Yeah, yeah I've heard it all before, coffee please?"

"Haven't you had enough today?"

Lorelai shook her head, "Never enough, come on coffee me babe." She said holding her mug up closer to his face. Luke gave in and poured her some more coffee.

"So did you get anything planned today?" Luke asked.

"Just the date really, we talked about some other things though. There is something I wanted to talk to you about, to get your opinion on actually."

"What's that?"

"I was thinking about whom I wanted as my bridesmaids and I decided on Rory and Sookie. Well actually, I want Rory as the Maid of Honor but anyways I was thinking about asking April to be a bridesmaid. I just wanted to see if that is okay with you," Lorelai said.

Luke smiled at her thoughtfulness. He was happy that Lorelai wanted to include April into the wedding ceremony. "I think that sounds like a great idea. I'm sure April would be thrilled to be included in the ceremony."

"So you're completely okay with it?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Luke asked.

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, "Just making sure. Is April around? I wanted to ask her about being a bridesmaid."

"She's in the apartment," Luke said pointing towards the stairs.

"Be right back," Lorelai said hopping up off her stool. She smiled at Luke as walked behind the curtain and headed up the stairs.

* * *

Lorelai pushed open the door to the apartment and found April sitting on the couch reading a book. Lorelai knocked on the door before entering so she wouldn't scare April. April looked up from her book as Lorelai walked into the apartment.

"Oh hey Lorelai," April said.

"Hey April," Lorelai said taking a spot next to her on the couch. "There's something that I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" April asked.

"Well I was downstairs with Sookie for a little while planning the wedding and I thought about my bridesmaids. I talked with your dad about this first before talking to you. I would like to know if you would like to take part in the wedding. What I'm asking is will you be one of my bridesmaids?" Lorelai asked smiling over at the young girl.

"Are you sure?" April asked.

Lorelai nodded, "Of course I'm sure. Do you want to do it? You can say no and that will be okay."

"No, I want to do it. I just don't know how to be a bridesmaid. I never had to it that before."

"You don't have to do anything. Just stand there and look pretty and maybe help me to plan out what the bridesmaid's dresses should look like; so not too much responsibility." Lorelai said.

"Then I'll do it," April replied.

"Great!" Lorelai said wrapping April in a hug. "I'm happy you agreed to this. I'm glad that you are going to be a part of my family now too."

"Me too," April said as she broke away from the hug.

"Well I will leave you to your reading; I'm just going to go back downstairs." Lorelai said as she started walking out of the apartment.

"Hey Lorelai," April said, "Thanks for asking me."

Lorelai smiled, "No problem kid."

* * *

Lorelai walked back down into the diner with a smile on her face. She noticed that Rory was now sitting at the counter talking to Luke as she drank her coffee.

"Hey Rory," Lorelai said sitting down next to her daughter.

"Oh hey Mom, where were you?" Rory asked.

"Upstairs, I had to talk to April." Lorelai replied.

"Talk to April about what?"

"I wanted to see if she would be one of my bridesmaids for the wedding."

"What did she say?" Luke asked.

"She said yes," Lorelai said smiling. "Which reminds me," she said turning towards Rory, "Would you be my Maid of Honor?"

Rory smiled widely, "Of course I will! Do you even have to ask?" Rory hugged her mother.

"Well that settles it, I have my bridesmaids now you need your groomsmen," Lorelai said looking over at Luke.

"I'll figure it out." Luke said.

"Just let me know when you do, and then we can get them fitted for their suits and the girls for their dresses." Lorelai said.

"I will, don't worry," Luke said.

"Okay, I'm going to head home now," Lorelai said leaning over the counter, "Kiss," she said. Luke leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips before she turned to leave the diner with Rory following behind her.

* * *

Friday night, Lorelai and Rory found themselves standing outside the Gilmore Mansion. Lorelai told Rory that she was going to tell her parents about the engagement tonight, she didn't want them to find out from anyone else.

Lorelai reached out and rang the doorbell. A few seconds after the doorbell rang, a new maid appeared at the door and ushered them inside. Lorelai and Rory walked into the living room where Richard and Emily were already sitting. Richard stood up as the girls walked into the room.

"Hello Lorelai, Rory, what would you like to drink?" Richard asking as she walked over to the drink cart.

"A soda's fine," Rory answered.

"A martini," Lorelai answered.

Richard nodded and then fixed their drinks. Lorelai and Rory sat down on the couch. Lorelai made sure to conceal her left hand until she was ready to make the announcement. Richard walked over and handed them their drinks before sitting back down in his chair.

"So Lorelai is there anything new going on?" Emily asked. Since Luke did come to get their blessing she was wondering if he had proposed yet.

Lorelai smiled, "Actually there is something new," she said revealing her left hand, "Luke proposed last Saturday and I said yes. We are engaged again." Lorelai extended her left hand to give her parents a view of the ring.

"Lorelai, that's fantastic," Emily said. She reached for Lorelai's hand and examined the ring; it was just as pretty as she remembered when Luke showed it to her.

"Yes Lorelai, that is fantastic," Richard said agreeing.

"If you're engaged where is Luke this evening?" Emily asked.

Lorelai sighed, she knew this was coming. "He's at home with his daughter. She is leaving tomorrow and I told him that he should spend some one-on-one time with her. We have spent a lot of time together but he hasn't spent much time alone with April. Tonight was his night to do just that."

"Since you two are getting married, I expect to meet his daughter. I also expect him to come to these dinners," Emily said.

"I know, we discussed this last time. April is leaving tomorrow and I'm not sure when she will be back with Luke again. As for Luke, he will come back to the dinners. I just do not know when April will be able to attend." Lorelai said honestly.

"Well I guess that's good enough for now," Emily said. Lorelai had a shocked look on her face. Emily never just dropped an issue like that, she usually pressed on until she drove Lorelai crazy.

"Dad there is something that I would like to ask you," Lorelai said turning to face Richard.

"What is it?" Richard asked.

"Well it is customary for the father to walk his daughter down the aisle so would you walk me down the aisle?" Lorelai asked.

Richard smiled, "Well of course I will. I would love to walk you down the aisle."

Lorelai smiled brightly, "Thank you daddy," she said. Richard laughed; she had not called him daddy since she was three years old.

Lorelai turned back to ask her mother to help plan the wedding but discovered she was no longer in the room, she looked at Rory, "Where did your grandmother go?" she asked.

"I think she went into the kitchen," Rory replied.

Lorelai nodded, "Be right back." Lorelai walked through the dining room and straight for the kitchen. She found Emily in there fussing at one of the maids.

"Hey mom," Lorelai said.

Emily turned around to face her, "These maids cannot do anything right."

"Why did you walk away in there when I was talking to dad?" Lorelai asked.

"I had to check on these incompetent maids. We may eat at some time tonight but it will not be at 7," Emily replied.

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "That's not the real reason. Are you mad because I asked dad to walk me down the aisle?"

"No," Emily said. "I'm not mad."

"Then what's your problem?" Lorelai asked.

"I'm sure you have everything for the wedding already planned. This is just like last time; you are going to leave me out of everything. I'm your mother and mothers are supposed to help plan their only daughter's wedding." Emily confessed. She looked up and noticed Lorelai had a huge grin on her face, "What is all this funny to you?" she asked in her snarky tone.

Lorelai shook her head, "No it's not funny….well maybe a little. If you would have stuck around instead of running away, you would have heard that I have something to ask you too."

"What is it?" Emily asked with a small grin on her face.

"Well we already set the date for the wedding. We are going to get married September 4th. I know that the date is soon but it's what Luke and I wanted. I have so much to do besides planning the wedding so I would like for you to help plan my wedding. Would you help me plan the wedding?" Lorelai asked.

Emily smiled, "I will help you plan your wedding Lorelai."

Lorelai smiled back, "Thank you Mom."

"You're welcome. Now I think it is time for dinner," Emily said looking over to one of the maids, who nodded in response, "so let's go eat."

"Sounds good to me," Lorelai said exiting the kitchen and walking into the dining room. She walked to where Richard and Rory were still sitting and told them it was time to eat.

The family sat down to eat dinner together. They focused on discussing Rory's move to New York. She had narrowed down her choices for apartments between two. Richard talked about the details of both apartments Rory wanted to give her a better idea of them since he had now seen them in person. After talking about Rory, they moved on to discussing Lorelai's engagement. For once, there was no fighting at a Friday Night dinner.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner after their Friday Night dinner. Luke was closing down the diner as they walked in. Lorelai and Rory walked over to the counter and sat down. Luke poured them each a cup of coffee.

"So I think I have officially lost my mind," Lorelai said looking up at Luke.

"I think you lost your mind a long time ago Lorelai," Luke smirked.

"Oh ha ha very funny but you will never guess what I did tonight," Lorelai replied.

Rory knew that Lorelai had asked Emily to help plan her wedding so she knew what Lorelai was referring too, "Yeah you really will never guess what she did. She's lost it."

Luke sighed knowing that she probably did something completely insane, "What did you do?"

"Well I asked my mother to help plan our wedding," Lorelai said.

Luke started laughing, "You really asked you mother to help plan the wedding?"

"Oh yea I did," Lorelai replied.

"Your mother who you hate going to dinners with? That mother right?" Luke asked.

"That very one," Lorelai said.

"Why did you do that?"

"Well the wedding is soon and with helping Rory move and the Inn. I will need help. I have Sookie but she has her own family and her job at the Inn so asking my mother seemed like a good idea," Lorelai said.

"I can't wait to see you two planning this together," Rory said.

"Oh missy you are helping plan this too so you will be there. You will deal with Emily too," Lorelai said smirking.

"I knew you would drag me into this somehow," Rory said. "Wait what about Luke, doesn't he need to be there for the planning?"

"I'm no good with that kind of stuff," Luke said.

"We will make a few major decisions together, like the date, which we already did. He can help with seating arrangements if he wants too but grooms don't really plan that much. I'll ask him before I decide on most things," Lorelai said.

"You really don't have too," Luke said.

"Okay so you're totally cool with wearing a pink tux?" Lorelai asked, "Oooooh or wearing, what does TJ call them, air pants?" Lorelai teased.

"I'm not doing any of that." Luke growled.

Lorelai laughed, "So see I have to run some decisions by you."

"Fine, decisions like that you are definitely running by me," Luke said.

"Got it!" Lorelai said, "Well I think we are going to head home, see you tomorrow Luke." Lorelai got off her stool and walked to the edge of the counter where Luke met her. He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her lips. Lorelai grinned and placed another kiss on his lips before walking away.

"Bye Luke," she said as she exited the diner door.

"Bye Lorelai," Luke replied as he watched Lorelai and Rory walk down the empty street. He finished with his closing routine for the diner and headed back up the stairs. He only came down to the diner to close since he left Cesar in charge while he spent time with April. They had spent the night watching movies that April wanted to see that Luke had never heard of. April fell asleep during the last movie giving Luke time to come down and close the diner. He made his way into his apartment and smiled over at his sleeping daughter. He was upset that she was leaving tomorrow. He still had to talk to Anna about his and Lorelai's engagement and April's involvement. He would talk to her when she came to pick April up tomorrow. Luke climbed into his bed and thought about what to say to Anna tomorrow.

* * *

**The end of another chapter, hope you are still enjoying!**

**Please leave a review!**

** Thank you for continuing to read and review this story. I really do appreciate it. I could never tell you how much.**

**Chloe: Thank you!**

**Scarlet3086: Yay, they are together! I always liked the idea of Rory calling Luke Dad. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Nancy: I like the idea of Luke getting both Rory and the Gilmore's blessing for the proposal, it seems so very Luke-like. I love the sound of family of girls too! The chuppah is very special to both of them. Thank you for reviewing!**

**Gilmoreintraining: I was excited too. You're right it does seem like this time, Lorelai would do everything in order. Plus I like the idea of them being married before possibly bringing a baby into the picture. Thanks for reviewing!**


	18. Beginning of Planning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls**

* * *

Saturday morning, Lorelai and Rory made their way into the diner for breakfast. April was set to leave this afternoon so Lorelai and Rory were going to spend the morning with her before she left to go back home with her mother.

Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner and found April already sitting a table waiting for them.

"Hey April," Lorelai said as she sat down next to the girl. Rory sat across the table from her mother.

"Hey Lorelai, hey Rory," April said.

"Hey April," Rory replied.

"Oh Luke, coffee please," Lorelai called out looking over at the counter at Luke. Luke looked up and nodded in acknowledgement. He grabbed a mug for Rory and Lorelai before grabbing the coffee pot and making his way to their table.

"Good morning," he greeted as he poured their coffee. "What would you like for breakfast?" he asked.

"I'll have a stack of pancake with a side of bacon and eggs," Rory said.

"Ooh, I'll have the same thing but I also want a donut," Lorelai chimed in.

"I'll take some pancakes too," April said.

Luke scribbled down their order and walked towards the counter. He grabbed a donut from the display and walked back over to Lorelai's table. He placed a small plate in front of Lorelai and placed the donut on the small plate. Lorelai smiled up at him when he gave her the doughnut. He kissed the top of her head before walking into the kitchen to prepare the girl's orders.

"I'm going to miss you when you leave April," Lorelai said.

"Me too," Rory agreed.

"I'm going to miss you guys too," April said.

"But hopefully your mom will allow you to visit before you start back school because I want you here to help with the wedding. Plus you are going to need to be here for your dress fitting and all of that stuff," Lorelai said.

"And I want to see you again before I leave for New York," Rory said.

"I'm sure Mom will let me come back. I do have to see my Dad," April said.

"Yeah you do," Lorelai said smiling. "I really enjoyed hanging out with you this summer. You make a great shopping buddy. Now that you're leaving I only have Rory," Lorelai joked.

"Hey!" Rory shouted acting like she was insulted.

"Oh you know I'm just joking. You have been my shopping buddy since the beginning. Since April is leaving and you are going to New York soon, I will no longer have a constant shopping buddy." Lorelai said.

"You have Luke," Rory said.

Lorelai laughed, "Yeah okay because he loves shopping."

"He's not the shopping type," April said.

They quieted down as Luke brought their food over. As they ate their breakfast, the girls talked about the time they spent together over the summer. Lorelai and Rory promised that once Rory was moved into her apartment in New York, they would bring April up for a visit since she had never been to New York. Lorelai discussed wedding plans, getting ideas from the girls on what the bridesmaids dresses should look like. They sat talking for a long time after finishing their breakfast before Lorelai realized that Anna would be here soon. She wanted to be out of the diner when she came to give Luke time to talk to Anna about their engagement and upcoming wedding.

"Well kid I guess I better get going," Lorelai said standing up from the table. "I'm really going to miss you. I had a great time with you this summer."

"I did too," April said now standing up too.

Lorelai walked over to where April was standing, "Come visit again soon," she said wrapping her arms around the young girl.

Rory walked over and hugged April after Lorelai stepped away, "I'll miss you too," she said.

While Rory was hugging April, Lorelai walked over to Luke who was now at the counter, "So you're going to tell Anna about the engagement and April being a bridesmaid when she comes to pick up April, right?" Lorelai asked.

Luke nodded, "That's the plan. Don't worry I will tell her everything."

"I'm not worried. I just hope she doesn't freak out or anything. I know how it is being a single mom and all but hopefully she can understand our situation."

"I will try to make her understand how much it means to both of us for April to be a part of the wedding," Luke said.

Lorelai smiled, "Great. Now kiss," she said leaning over the counter and getting a quick kiss from Luke, "I'll see you later."

"See you later," Luke said as Lorelai walked out of the door with Rory quickly following.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Luke was upstairs with April helping her pack the last of the things when he heard a knock on the apartment door. Luke walked over and opened the door to see Anna standing there.

"Hi Anna," Luke said as Anna walked into his apartment. "April just finished packing her things."

"Hi," Anna said. "Did you have fun with your dad?" she asked looking over at April.

"Yeah, we had a great time," April said.

"Well we really should get going," Anna said.

"Actually Anna there is something that I wanted to talk to you about," Luke said.

"Well what is it?" Anna asked.

"Let me take April's bags to your car first and then we can talk," Luke said as he grabbed April's bags and headed out of the apartment. Luke walked down the stairs and out of the diner door. Anna opened the door allowing Luke to place April's bags in the car.

"I think it would be best if we talked alone," Luke said. "There are just a few things that I need to update you on."

"I can stay here in the diner," April suggested.

"We will just be a few minutes," Luke said turning to walk upstairs to the apartment with Anna following him.

Once they were in the apartment, Anna turned to Luke, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Over the summer, I let April spend time with Lorelai and Rory. We went out to my family's cabin and spent a few days there," Luke said.

Anna interrupted, "You didn't tell me that you were allowing April to be around Lorelai, you know how I feel about that."

"Yeah I do know how you feel but she is my daughter too. I do have some say in what she does. Lorelai isn't just some girlfriend to me. I wanted to tell you that I proposed to Lorelai again. We are engaged and are getting married soon," Luke said.

"What makes you think she's going to actually go through with the engagement this time? Didn't she break off the engagement last time when she left?" Anna asked.

"We are going to make it work this time. We are getting married this time." Luke said trying to keep his anger under control.

"What makes you think it is going to work out this time?" Anna asked.

"I know that it is going to work this time. We are both going to make it work this time." Luke said pausing. "It did not work out last time because I kept April from her but I am not doing that this time. I will not keep my fiancée from getting to know my daughter because it makes you uncomfortable. Lorelai knows how you feel about the situation but she was in the same position as you were before."

"I don't know if I like April becoming attached to Lorelai," Anna said.

"What is your problem with Lorelai?" Luke asked angrily. "If anything she should be the one person that you like. She raised Rory all by herself. She knows how you feel about everything with April. She does take your feelings into account about this whole situation. Plus they are already attached to one another."

"What does that mean they are already attached to one another?" Anna asked.

Luke sighed, "Exactly what you think it means. They spent time together this summer. Lorelai is excited about having April become a part of her family. Lorelai even asked April to be a bridesmaid in our wedding."

"What did April say?" Anna asked.

"April agreed and is thrilled to be a part of our wedding," Luke replied.

"I'm not sure that I want her to be a part of the wedding," Anna said.

"Why?" Luke asked angrily. "Why are you so against this?"

Luke looked over at Anna who didn't have an answer.

"You don't even have an answer for that. Well I'm her father and if April wants to be a part of my wedding then I'm going to let her." Luke yelled.

"You can't make every decision in her life," Anna yelled.

"Huh isn't that what you are doing? What you have been doing?" Luke asked. "You didn't tell me about her for twelve years. The only reason I found out about her is because she did a science experiment. I am her father. I had a right to know! I'm not even the one making the decision."

"Then who is?" Anna asked.

"Ultimately the decision falls down to April. I'm not going to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. She is excited about this. I think she is the only person that needs to make that decision. You are not making this decision for her." Luke warned.

"I need to get going, get April home," Anna said after a few minutes of silence.

Luke nodded and headed out the door to tell April bye. He stopped at the end of the stairs trying to calm himself down because he was still angry with Anna. Luke walked into the diner and walked over to where April was sitting at the counter. When she spotted him walking over she climbed down of off her stool.

Luke wrapped his arms around April pulling her into a tight hug, "I'm going to miss you April."

April smiled, "I'm going to miss you too Dad."

"Well you will definitely have to come visit soon and call me whenever." Luke said. "I love you." He looked up and noticed Anna outside waiting by her car. "It looks like your mother is ready to go."

April looked up, "Yeah it does. I love you, bye Dad." She said giving him one last hug before racing out of the diner.

Luke stood behind the counter and waved as he watched Anna's car drive away.

* * *

Later that night, Lorelai was sitting at home in the kitchen when she heard the front door open. She got up from the kitchen and walked towards the door.

"Rory, didn't you just leave?" Lorelai asked before looking up and noticing Luke standing by the doorway. "Oh hey Luke, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I finished with the dinner rush and Cesar is closing the diner tonight so I came over to see you," Luke said walking closer to her.

Lorelai grinned, "Oh really?"

"Really," Luke said pulling her in for a kiss.

"How did your talk with Anna go?" Lorelai asked as she broke away from the kiss. She led Luke to the living room to sit on the couch.

Luke sighed loudly, "Anna was Anna. She got mad that April spent a lot of time with you and Rory when she was here."

"Oh," Lorelai said, "was she really mad?" she asked.

"I don't think she was really mad. She was upset that I didn't tell her about me letting you spend time with April but I told her that we were getting married soon and that you needed to spend time with April because that is one of the things that drove us apart last time. She doubted the fact that we were going to get married this time," Luke said.

Lorelai turned to face Luke and looked him in the eye, "but we are getting married. Nothing is going to stop us this time."

Luke smiled, "I know that. That's what I told her."

Lorelai smiled, "Good because we are definitely getting married even if I have to drag you down the aisle kicking and screaming."

Luke laughed, "There will be no need for that at all. I'm ready to walk down that aisle with you."

Lorelai smiled and place a soft kiss on his lips, "Did you tell Anna about April being a bridesmaid?"

"Well she asked what April thought. I said April was thrilled to be a part of the wedding. Anna said that she wasn't sure if she wanted April to be a part of the wedding. She didn't even have an answer for me so I just said that I was her father and that if April wanted to be a part of the wedding then she could." Luke said.

"So is April still going to be a part of the wedding?" Lorelai asked.

"I think so. Anna told me that I couldn't make every decision in April's life. I told her that I wasn't making this decision for her and that the decision falls to April. So if Anna lets April have her way then she will be your bridesmaid."

"I really, really want her to be a part of this wedding," Lorelai said.

"I know you do."

"I just hope your talk with her today doesn't call anymore problems between you two. I would hate for her to try and keep April from you again," Lorelai replied.

"I know. I already missed so much of her life, I cannot imagine missing anymore," Luke said.

"Well we are going to make sure that you won't. You will be there for everything that she goes through." Lorelai said. "You can be there to scare away her first boyfriend," she joked.

"She's not going to date," Luke growled out.

Lorelai laughed and rolled her eyes, "Sure Luke; keep believing that."

"I was thinking I could go ahead and start moving my stuff back in tomorrow since I don't have to be in the diner," Luke said.

"Oh eager to move back in are we?" Lorelai teased.

Luke grinned and pulled her closer, "Definitely." He kissed her lips before placing small kisses down her neck. Lorelai sighed as she felt his hands wrap around his waist.

"Unless you want Rory to walk in on us again, I suggest we go upstairs," Lorelai whispered. Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her upstairs.

* * *

Tuesday afternoon, Lorelai and Rory found themselves standing in front of the Gilmore mansion. Today was their first day of planning with Emily.

"Are you sure you're ready for Grandma to help plan your wedding?" Rory asked.

"I'm going to make it known that this is my wedding, I just need help brining it together. This is going to be my choosing with help, of course but she is not going to make the decisions," Lorelai said.

"Good luck," Rory said as she rang the doorbell. After waiting for a few minutes and no one answering the door, Lorelai and Rory decided to let themselves in.

"Mom?" Lorelai called out as she walked into the house.

"Dining room," Emily called back.

Lorelai walked into the dining room, "What are you doing in here?" she asked as she took in the sight in front of her. There were samples of invitations, table settings and floral arrangements spread out all over the table.

"Whoa," Rory said walking into the room behind her mother.

"I was just preparing for the planning. I already have some ideas for your wedding Lorelai," Emily replied.

"I think we need to talk first," Lorelai said. "Let's sit and talk."

Emily sat down, "What do you need to talk about?"

"Before we begin any of the planning, let's get one thing straight. This is my wedding, not yours. I really want your help in bringing everything together because you are the only person that I know of that can get everything together quickly but I want this to by my wedding not yours. I appreciate ideas that you have but I do not want you to pressure me into making this into your wedding. This wedding will be my dream wedding not yours," Lorelai replied.

Emily cleared her throat, "I think those are reasonable terms." Lorelai and Rory both had shocked looks on their faces.

"Why are you agreeing to this so fast?" Lorelai asked.

"I'll agree on one condition," Emily replied.

"I knew there was going to be something," Lorelai said. "What's the condition?"

"Your father and I would like to pay for your wedding." Emily said.

Lorelai shook her head, "No you're not doing that. Luke and I are paying for the wedding ourselves. I know it is traditional for the bride's father to pay for the wedding but Luke and I aren't exactly the most traditional. Luke is not going to want you to pay for the wedding. We can afford this wedding ourselves," Lorelai said.

"I figured as much. Will you at least let me pay for your gown?" Emily asked hopefully.

"I will think about that," Lorelai said. "Now where should we start on this planning?" Lorelai asked pulling a small journal out of her purse. The journal was pink and bedazzled in true Lorelai fashion.

"What in the world is that?" Emily asked.

"This is my wedding journal. I have the ideas written down in here plus everything that still needs to be done. Rory has one as well," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, see," Rory said pulling her journal out of her purse.

"I even bought you one," Lorelai said pulling another journal out of her purse. This one was equally as pink and sparkly.

"Where do you even buy something like this?" Emily asked as she grabbed the journal from Lorelai.

"At any store, I just added my own touch to it," Lorelai said. "So planning, we don't have a whole lot of time so where should we start?"

"Well you already have the date, right?" Emily asked.

Lorelai smiled, "Yes, September 4th."

"Where are you holding it?" Emily asked.

"The Dragonfly. We have weddings at the Inn all the time, I know how to hold a wedding there. We will have plenty of room."

"Food?" Emily asked.

"Sookie is in charge of food. She's planning a menu as we speak. I think she has been planning for this ever since Luke and I got back together before we were ever engaged. I cannot challenge her on any of this," Lorelai said. "She is also in charge of the cake. I am not questioning her on anything. I trust her completely with planning the menu. She knows that Luke and I both like as far as food goes."

"What about the bridesmaids?" Emily asked.

"Rory is going to be my Maid of Honor," she said smiling over at Rory. "I also asked Sookie and April to be bridesmaids."

"Is April still going to be able to do it?" Rory asked.

"Why wouldn't April be able to be a bridesmaid?" Emily asked.

"Anna is not my biggest fan so we weren't sure if she was going to be a bridesmaid. Anna is her mother and doesn't really want April to get attached to me in case Luke and I didn't work out again but Luke assured her that we were getting married this time. She is still skeptical about the whole thing though. Luke hasn't heard from April since she went back home." Lorelai explained.

"What are you going to do if her mother says April cannot be a bridesmaid?" Emily asked.

"If we go by what Luke says then April is making this decision all by herself. This is not Anna's decision." Lorelai said. "We will deal with that if we have too right now let's just move on with the planning."

"Groomsmen?" Rory asked.

Lorelai shrugged her shoulders, "Still have to talk with Luke about that. I have tried talking with him but he doesn't have many answers. He is still thinking about that."

"It seems like you already have most things planned out," Emily said.

"Not really. I still need a dress, bridesmaids' dresses, invitations, flowers, decorations, a guest list…" Lorelai said before Lorelai interrupted.

"Don't worry about the dresses, I can get Miss Celine over here in the next few days in you are free," Emily said.

"Of course, how could I forget about Miss Celine?" Lorelai asked.

"I haven't seen her in a while," Rory said.

"Well she has styled us for everything else, she can be there for your wedding," Emily said.

"She's always interesting," Lorelai said. "I do know that I want the bridesmaids' dresses to be blue though. That's definitely one of the colors I want in the wedding. It will match the ring."

"I can specify that you need blue dresses for the bridesmaids. If April is going to be a bridesmaid though she needs to be here for a fitting," Emily said.

"Well could the bridesmaids' fitting take place on a weekend, that might be Luke's only time for April to come over," Lorelai said.

"We can make that happen," Emily said. "Now do you want to look over the invitation samples that I have here already? That way you can get some idea of what you want."

"Sure," Lorelai agreed handing a stack on samples over to Rory to look through.

Four hours later, Lorelai and Rory left the Gilmore mansion. Lorelai had narrowed down her invitations down to a few choices that she promised to make a decision between in the next few days so they could get them sent out. They also set up a date for Lorelai to meet with Miss Celine to try on wedding dresses. Emily, Lorelai and Rory had managed to make a small dent in the wedding plans but still had more to work through.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory pulled up in front of the Crap Shack and got out of the car. Lorelai smiled at the sight of Luke's truck in the driveway. She was happy that he had finally moved all his stuff back into their house.

"Luke?" she called walking into the house. Rory followed right behind her.

"Kitchen," Luke replied.

"Now this is what I like to see," Lorelai said walking into the kitchen, "Coming home to my man in the kitchen cooking dinner," she said walking closer to Luke. "What are you cooking?"

"Fried chicken," Luke answered.

"Oh Luke will you marry me?" She teased.

"Yeah Luke, marry her so you can cook us dinner every night," Rory said chiming in.

Lorelai laughed, "Well not technically us since you will leave for New York soon; just one more month until we move everything up there; one more month until you leave your dear mom."

"I know," Rory said quietly.

"Let's not think about that now, it is just going to make me sad," Lorelai said she sat down at the kitchen table next to Rory watching Luke cook.

"How did the wedding planning go?" Luke asked.

"It was long. Mom said that she and dad wanted to pay for the wedding but I told her that there was no need because we were paying for wedding. We wanted to pay for our own wedding," Lorelai replied.

"What did she say to that?" Luke asked.

"She agreed that we could pay for it. She now wants to pay for my dress. I told her I would think about it."

Luke nodded, "I think you should let her. I mean we are paying for everything else. Emily probably just wants to feel like she is a part of your wedding in more than just the planning way."

"I agree with Luke, I think you should let Grandma and Grandpa pay for your dress. She is bringing in Miss Celine to help so it seems appropriate that they would pay," Rory said.

"I guess so," Lorelai said.

"Who's Miss Celine?" Luke asked.

"I never told you about her?" Lorelai asked. Luke shook his head. "She's this woman that has been styling my parents for years. Whenever they have this really big event, Emily and Richard bring her in to help with their wardrobe choices. She's crazy but is really great at styling people. She's going to help pick out my wedding dress and the bridesmaids dresses."

"When are you doing that?" Luke asked.

"Wedding dress tryouts or fittings whatever you call it are two weeks from now, I think or something like that. As far as the bridesmaids' dresses go we need to see if April can come visit one weekend or just for the day during the weekend or weekend so we can have fitting for bridesmaids' dresses," Lorelai said.

"I'll call her and see when she can visit. I'll explain the situation to Anna and see when she wants to send April." Luke replied.

"There's still so much to do," Lorelai said lying her head down on the table.

"We will get it done Mom. Grandma is going to help us; you know she can get people to do absolutely anything she wants," Rory said trying to reassure her mother.

Lorelai sighed, "I know. We have the wedding to plan and we have preparing to move you to New York and then actually moving you up there. I have the Inn to run still. I'm stressing out here."

"We will get it done," Rory said. "There's not much that we have to do to prepare me to move. We have the apartment already, Grandpa took care of that and is still taking care of all that, most things are still packed up from my apartment from Yale. We just have a little furniture shopping to do for the new place but not too much because I am using some of your old furniture from your old apartment in Litchfield."

"You're right. I'm just tired," Lorelai said.

Luke made his way over to Lorelai and started rubbing her back, "Why don't you go upstairs and relax? Dinner is going to be just a little longer so go relax or take a nap."

Lorelai smiled, "Sounds like a good idea," she said standing up from the table. She placed a quick kiss on his lips, "Come get me when dinner is ready."

* * *

Later that week on Saturday, Lorelai walked into the diner and took her usual spot at the counter. Luke walked over and placed a quick kiss on her lips, surprising her.

"What was that for?" Lorelai asked.

"What I can't kiss you?" Luke asked. He grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee for her.

"Oh you totally can but you usually don't in the diner unless I initiate it. You are not a fan of PDA." Lorelai replied as she picked up her coffee.

"Well you haven't been in much this week. I guess I just missed you," Luke said.

"I know. I have been busy at the Inn and spending time with Rory before she leaves. Whenever I get home, you are usually already asleep. I missed you too," Lorelai said. "We're pathetic."

"What?" Luke asked.

"We're pathetic. We live together and are complaining about missing one another. We are pathetic mister." Lorelai said. "Bring me a cheeseburger please."

"Got it," Luke said giving the order to Cesar in the kitchen. "Well Cesar came back this morning so now I have more time so spend with you and Rory."

"Great because Rory and I are going furniture shopping soon and we could use your help. You can help carry things and decide which things we can and cannot buy depending on whether you not you think you can assemble it," Lorelai said.

"I'm going to have to assemble things?" Luke asked.

"Probably, Rory did call you Dad after all. I'm pretty sure that is one of the qualifications of being a dad. You're going to do this for your girl; you have done everything else for her."

Luke smiled, "Of course I will do it for Rory. Do you have to get back to the Inn this afternoon?"

"Nope, I'm free this afternoon," Lorelai said as Luke sat down her plate in front of her. "Thank you."

Luke walked away to tend to the other customers. After Luke walked away, Kirk sat down next to Lorelai. He stared at her until she looked up.

"Um hi Kirk," Lorelai said.

"I hear you are in the middle of planning your wedding," Kirk said.

"Yes, I am planning my wedding. Is there something that you wanted Kirk?" Lorelai asked.

"Actually yes there is something that I wanted to ask," Kirk said. Lorelai waited for him to say something but he stayed quiet.

"What did you want to ask Kirk?"

"Right now, I am dabbling in the photography business. I would like to know if you needed to hire a photographer for you wedding. If so then know that I am available for whatever day you need me. I would like to photograph your wedding."

"Oh I appreciate the offer but my mom has already hired a photographer for the wedding. We don't need anyone to take photos anymore," Lorelai said. "Sorry Kirk," she said when she saw how sad he looked.

"That's okay," Kirk sad walking away and sitting down a few stools down from Lorelai.

Luke walked back over to the counter, "What did Kirk want?"

"He wanted to know if he could take pictures at the wedding but I told him no because my mom has already hired a photographer for us. It is someone she knows who apparently takes amazing pictures. I'm trusting her judgment on this one," Lorelai said. "Oh just look at him though he looks so sad."

"It's Kirk, he will get over it. He will find a new job or hobby within a week," Luke said. "How many jobs does one guy need?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Lorelai continued to eat her lunch.

After finishing off her lunch and chatting with Luke, Lorelai looked down to where Kirk was sitting and noticed that he still looked upset over being rejected for their wedding photographer.

"Look at him, he looks like a little sad puppy," Lorelai said talking to Luke. "Oh wait, I have an idea." She said as she stood up from her stool and walked over to Kirk.

"Kirk, would you still be interested in being a photographer at our wedding?" Lorelai asked.

"I thought you said your mother already hired someone," Kirk replied.

"She did but the photographer she hired is going to take all the staged photos, you know the ones that are posed, the ones that capture the entire wedding party. I was thinking if we hire you then you can take all the candid photos; the unexpected pictures. You know us and I think you could know when to take the best pictures," Lorelai said.

"So I would take pictures during the reception?" Kirk asked.

Lorelai nodded, "Yeah, you could take pictures of the guests and things like that. You can take the pictures that people don't need to pose for."

"I'll do it! Thanks Lorelai," Kirk said.

"Great," Lorelai said as she walked back to her seat. "I just asked Kirk to take pictures at our wedding, along with other photographer," Lorelai said as she sat back down.

"Why would you do that?" Luke asked.

"It's Kirk, he looked sad. Plus, he knows us. He will know when to take the pictures that can capture us as a couple," Lorelai replied.

Luke rolled his eyes, "Whatever you want for this wedding is fine by me."

"Ooh that reminds me, who are you going to pick to be your groomsmen?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. I was thinking about asking Jess."

"Jess will work. Do you want him to be your best man?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know who else I would ask to be my best man. I guess I could ask Jess. He probably won't do it though," Luke said.

"I'm sure he will. He's changed in the past few years Luke. He looks up to you even if he will not admit it. Just ask him. I think he will say yes," Lorelai said.

"I'll call him later."

"Okay so we have Jess. Who else are you going to ask?"

"I don't know."

"What about Jackson?" Lorelai asked. "Or TJ?"

"Just let me think about it a little bit more. I promise I will make a decision soon," Luke said.

"Okay, I'm going to head home now. When are you going to be home?"

"Not too much longer, Cesar is going to close so I don't have to be here for that," Luke replied.

"Great, see you at home then." Lorelai said leaning over the counter, "Now kiss." Lorelai placed a quick kiss on his lips before turning around to leave the diner.

* * *

Later that night, Luke was already in bed while Lorelai was in the bathroom getting ready for bed.

"I called Jess today," Luke said.

"Oh really?" Lorelai asked walking out of the bathroom, "What did he say?"

"He said that he could be here for the wedding and that he would be my best man. He didn't put up an argument or anything about it," Luke said as Lorelai climbed in bed next to him.

"See I told you he would do it. You should listen to me more," Lorelai smirked.

"Yeah, you were right."

"Wait, what was that? You said I was right? I think that's a first. You actually admitted I was right," Lorelai said joking.

Luke rolled his eyes, "Are you ever going to let me live that down?"

"Hmm let me think, probably not. Goodnight Luke," Lorelai said as she lay down in the bed.

Luke lay down next to her and pulled her closer, "Goodnight Lorelai," he said as he nuzzled his head onto her shoulder.

"I love you," Lorelai whispered.

Luke smiled, "I love you too."

* * *

**I plan to put more wedding planning in the next chapter, especially the wedding dress part. I just need to think/find a picture of a wedding dress that will work for this story. That may take a little time.**

**Please leave a review with your input on the story! I really appreciate it.**

**Scarlet3086: Thanks! There will be more planning in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Chloe: Thank you for reviewing!**

**Nancy: I always loved Lorelai and Richard's relationship when they got along. He really did seem like a great father. Emily can make almost anyone do anything. Thanks for leaving a review!**

**Gilmoreintraining: I like making everyone getting along! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Alaskanbackdoor: Emily is essential in planning the wedding especially since the wedding date is close. Thank you for reviewing!**


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